Kohima, Aug 12: Nagaland has recorded a sharp decline in HIV prevalence among Injecting Drug Users (IDUs), falling from 50 percent in the early 1990s to just 2.53 percent today. However, the mode of transmission has shifted, with sexual transmission now accounting for nearly 87 percent of new HIV cases in the state.

Dr. Ahu Sekhose, Project Director of the Nagaland State AIDS Control Society (NSACS), Health and Family Welfare Department, shared this update during a press briefing in Kohima on Monday. He highlighted that the HIV prevalence among IDUs has decreased dramatically from 39 percent in 1994, according to data from the Indian Council of Medical Research.

Dr. Sekhose emphasized that while progress among IDUs is encouraging, continued efforts are essential to address the rising share of sexually transmitted HIV cases in Nagaland.