Nagaland records highest rate of HIV positive women under antenatal care

DIMAPUR: HIV positive women under antenatal care (ANC) in Nagaland, as per NACO HSS Plus Report 2021, stood at 1.61% as against the national average of 0.22, which is the highest in the country.

Y Kikheto Sema, commissioner and secretary, Nagaland health and family welfare department, said this at the 2nd Nagaland harm reduction conference held on the theme ‘making a difference’ in Kohima on Tuesday (March 28).

Sema said the HIV prevalence rate among the people in Nagaland in the age group of 15 to 49 years in the state stood at 1.36% as against the national average of 0.21%, which is the second highest in the country.

He said only 16% of the youth in Nagaland aged between 15 to 24 years have comprehensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS while 45% of youth do not know the source of condoms and 37% of sexually active youth are engaged in high-risk sexual behavior (NFHS-IV).