Mizoram has recorded a notable improvement in its national ranking on HIV prevention, even as it continues to report the highest adult HIV prevalence rate in the country, according to officials of the Mizoram State AIDS Control Society (MSACS).
Despite strengthened preventive measures, the northeastern state’s adult HIV prevalence stands at 2.75 per cent, far above the national average of 0.20 per cent. However, officials point to a steady decline in new infections over recent years.
“The state has been witnessing a ‘declining trend in the number of new HIV infections since 2018’,” MSACS Project Director Dr Jane R Ralte said. She added that Mizoram climbed from fifth position in 2024–25 to third in 2025–26 in the national HIV prevention ranking.
“Mizoram has achieved immense progress on the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO)'s scorecard as far as AIDS preventive measures or response efforts are concerned. The number of new HIV infections in the state has steadily declined since 2018,” Ralte told reporters on Friday.
Despite these gains, she underlined that the state “still has the highest adult HIV prevalence rate in the country (2.75 per cent), exceeding the national average of 0.20 per cent”.
Between April 2024 and November 2025, at least 3,257 people were detected with HIV from over 1.4 lakh blood samples tested. Of these, 953 were women and 179 were pregnant women. The highest incidence was reported among people aged between 25 and 34 years.
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Ralte said the first HIV-positive case in Mizoram was detected in October 1990 and since then, 33,781 cases have been identified. Another MSACS official said an estimated 26,321 people are currently living with the virus and are undergoing recovery. Since the introduction of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in 2005, at least 5,026 people have died due to AIDS-related complications.
“Of the 3,257 new cases found between April 2024 and November 2025, 70.4 per cent were found sexually transmitted, 27.3 per cent through sharing needles by intravenous drug users, 1.8 per cent from parent to child and 0.8 per cent from unknown sources,” Ralte said.
Health Minister Lalrinpuii said the state government has intensified efforts to curb HIV transmission by rolling out multiple interventions. She said 14 ART centres have been established across Mizoram, with 18,355 patients currently receiving treatment.
The minister also said the government is considering collaboration with churches to encourage awareness and promote HIV testing among church members before marriage.
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