Resources persons, district administration personnel and others during the launch of Integrated Health Campaign at DC’s office in Dimapur on May 21. (Morung Photo)
Morung Express News
Dimapur | May 21
Nagaland State AIDS Control Society (NSACS) have announced that it will providing free health services for at risk populations in Dimapur district through an Integrated Health Campaign which was officially launched on May 21 at the Deputy Commissioner’s office, Dimapur.
The campaign will be for a period of two months and will include basic health services such as counselling, screening of TB, HIV, syphilis, tuberculosis (TB), malaria, hepatitis (B&C), diabetes, hypertension, anemia among others. 21 mobile camps and 2 fixed camps will be set up during the entire period and will be till June 29.
This is a joint collaboration between NSACS, Department Health and Family Welfare and National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO).
Abu Sekhose, Project Director of NSACS in his address explained that this is part of NACO’s objective of eradicating 80% of deaths and infections from HIV & AIDS by 2025-26. As Dimapur has the highest number of HIV patients, he mentioned that this project has been specifically initiated to tackle this issue through awareness, intervention and treatment.
“The first pilot project was launched in Arunachal Pradesh due to that state witnessing an increasing number of HIV related cases, later it was conducted in Meghalaya, Assam and now in Nagaland,” he said. It was first launched in Peren district and now being done in Dimapur as well.
Dr Zaiwang, Deputy Director, STI & Nodal Officer IHC, NSACS shared that although this project’s priority is for HIV prevention, the health camps will provide comprehensive services for other disease and illnesses as well. It will be based on local needs and conducted across localities and villages, she said.
Further, the project will involve extended outreach camps for vulnerable areas or high risk groups based on the screening held in the initial stage. Under Dimapur, a total of 55 sites have been identified for the health camp as based on the positivity rate.
Nagaland continues to be second in HIV cases in national ranking
Currently there were about 9662 persons living with HIV in the district of Dimapur, Chümoukedima and Niuland she stated. As per the March 2024 data of NSCAS, the official reported that about 3034 patients were receiving Antiretroviral therapy (ART) out of the total. However, a discrepancy to note is that, this number includes those from outside these districts seeking treatment here due to the continued prevalence of stigma.
During testing of people for HIV from April to March 2024, she also noted that about 48777 have been tested out of which 960 came out positive. Compared to the national average of 0.22%, the percentage of positive cases within Dimapur and its adjoining areas was 2.3%, which is a high rate, she added.
Nagaland continues to rank as the second highest in terms of national HIV prevalence rate (1.61%) behind Mizoram (2.8%). In regard to cases among pregnant women, she noted that Nagaland is the highest.
Among the most common means through which the disease is spread is through, drug usage (injection), male on male sex, transgenders, female sex workers, truck drivers and migrant workers.
Similar launching of health camps will be initiated for Chümoukedima and Niuland on May 22.
