Kohima, Feb. 16 (EMN): Commissioner and Secretary, Health and Family Welfare and Chairman Nagaland State Aids Control Society (NSACS), Y Kikheto Sema, flagged off four mobile integrated counseling and testing centre (ICTC) vehicles for Mon, Longleng, Tuensang, and Noklak at the directorate of Health and Family Welfare in Kohima.
Nagaland has second highest HIV prevalence in the country after Mizoram, with 1.36% against national average of 0.21%.
Sema said there is a need for awareness among the people particularly during the election where everyone is busy and vulnerable.
‘Comparing to the 90s, the figure of HIV prevalence in the state is static. Over the last years, the percentage has reduced to some .05 percent yet Nagaland has the record of second highest HIV prevalence in the country,’ he said.
The vehicles are a replacement to the old vehicles in districts of Mon and Tuensang, and new addition for Longleng and Noklak districts. It was also informed that similar vehicles for other districts will be ready by next month.
Deputy Director of NSACS, Dr. Akuo Thorie, informed that the vehicles were replaced after 14 years. the MICTC vans are involved in outreach activities for HIV counseling and testing in the hard to reach areas or villages which are far away from fixed facilities like the hospitals and also in the high-risk pockets within the town.
The vans are used for conducting integrated coordinated activities with the state Health department through activities like health camps, health melas, and vertical health programmes under NHM. The vehicles are currently covering all the district's prisons and other closed settings, covering schools and colleges in collaboration with the red ribbon clubs, and coverage of HIV testing for the high risk groups in all the districts, she informed.
The replacing of the existing 10-MICTC van and addition of two more vans for Longleng and Noklak districts in the current financial year was initiated by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO).
Meanwhile, interacting with media persons after the flag off, the Health officials said the data on pregnant women (April to Dec. 2022) showed that 20123 pregnant women tested for HIV, and 141 pregnant women (new) confirmed positive for HIV. The number of live birth to PPW is 186, pregnant women screened for syphilis is 18886 and pregnant women screened reactive for syphilis is 88 (0.467%).
In Nagaland, People Living with HIV stands at 21730 and AIDS related deaths are 307. It also stated that 87.46% of HIV transmission occurs through sexual route in Nagaland.
The HSS (HIV Sentinel Surveillance) is conducted every two years among PW, HRGS and prison inmates. HIV prevalence is consistently high among HRGS and prison inmates at 2.24% among IDUS, 2% among FSWs, 3% among MSMs and 4.59% among prison inmates in 2020-21 according to NACO HSS Technical Report.
The HSS 2020-21 also indicated that Dimapur district has the highest HIV prevalence followed by Noklak, Mokokchung, Kiphire, Kohima, Phek, Peren, Tuensang Mon, Wokha, Zunheboto and Longleng. In Nagaland, HIV prevalence is consistently highest among 15-49 years of age at 1.36% as compared to National average of 0.21% comprising 87.39% of the total HIV positive cases.
HIV/AIDS programme facilities and services in Nagaland included 73 HIV test confirmatory sites, 126 screening sites, 58 community based screening sites (CBS), 18 PPP sites, 46 Targeted Intervention (TI) Sites, 31 TI-Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) sites, 19 Satellite-OST sites, 6 link worker schemes, 12 Antiretroviral Therapy Centre (ARTCS), 3 Link ARTCS (LAC), nine CD4 sites and two state reference laboratories (SRLS).
HIV Testing is compulsorily done for all pregnant women (PW) coming to antenatal clinics (ANCs) after pre and post test counseling and any positive PW (PPW) are linked ART services. HIV testing and treatment services are also available for high risk groups (HRGS) through TIs which are operated by TI NGOS spread across the districts. HRGS include Intravenous Drug Users (IDUs), Female Sex Workers (FSWs), male having Sex with Men (MSMs), Female IDUS (FIDUS), Transgender (TGs) and Bridge Population (Truckers and Migrants).
The Commissioner and Secretary said that two COVID positive cases were detected this year -- one each on Feb. 8 and Feb. 11 -- after 88 days since the last positive case reported on Nov. 11, 2022. There is no indication of severity of the increase of cases, he added.
‘As far as the drug is concerned, the field inspectors are on their job and will inspect the seizures very soon,’ he said. He said that illegal sale of drugs are happening in the state, adding the inspectors will go to the districts and conduct inspections.
‘80% caught is from outside the license premise whereas within the license premise, the department keeps a track. Nagaland has no manufacturing unit of drugs and therefore is a consumer state,’ it was informed.