Aizawl: Saitual has become the only district in Mizoram to achieve ‘Surakshit’ status under the National AIDS Control Organisation’s (NACO) Mobilization AIDS Suraksha (MAS) campaign after meeting all three targets of the globally recognised 95-95-95 HIV control strategy, according to an official release on Tuesday.
The 95-95-95 strategy aims to ensure that 95% of people living with HIV know their status, 95% of those diagnosed receive antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 95% of those on treatment achieve viral load suppression.
Under the MAS campaign, districts are classified as ‘Sangharshee’ if they meet none or only one of the three targets, ‘Saksham’ if they meet two, and ‘Surakshit’ if they meet all three. A ‘Surakshit+’ status is awarded to districts that also achieve zero mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
The MAS campaign, aimed at breaking the chain of HIV transmission, has been implemented across Mizoram since February, with district-level progress regularly reviewed under the leadership of Deputy Commissioners, the release said.
According to the August assessment, Saitual achieved the Surakshit benchmark, making it the first and only district in the State to attain the status so far.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Zothanpari Chhakchhuak attributed the achievement to the support of Saitual Deputy Commissioner Srinivas Sadi and sustained cooperation from NGOs, churches and community leaders.
She said their participation had helped expand HIV testing and awareness activities across the district.
Dr Chhakchhuak stressed that sustaining the achievement would require continued efforts to ensure that more people undergo HIV testing and know their HIV status.
She also urged people living with HIV to adhere to ART regularly, saying sustained treatment and early detection would remain crucial to preventing further transmission and consolidating Saitual’s Surakshit status.
According to the Mizoram State AIDS Control Society (MSACS), 34,930 HIV-positive cases have been detected in the State since October 1990, when the first case was reported.
Of these, 6,439 people had died of the disease by July this year, the society said.
MSACS also said 29,217 patients had registered for ART, of whom 26,382 had started receiving the therapy.