Aizawl: Nearly 3,000 people have died of complications related to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in Mizoram over the past five and a half years, state Health Minister Lalrinpuii informed the assembly on Thursday.
Responding to a query from opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) legislator K. Laldawngliana, the minister said that 2,996 people have died of AIDS between 2020 and July 2025.
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The highest number of deaths was recorded in 2023 at 632, followed by 561 in 2024 and 295 deaths reported till July this year.
During the same period, 11,032 individuals were found HIV positive, including 611 newly detected cases in 2025. Currently, 1,928 people in Mizoram are living with AIDS, while the total number of people living with HIV stands at 19,837.
Of these, 18,694 are undergoing Anti-retroviral Therapy (ART), and 1,143 are not availing treatment.
According to the Mizoram State AIDS Control Society (MSACS), the state has reported 5,632 AIDS-related deaths since October 1990, when the first HIV-positive case was detected. In total, 32,544 HIV-positive cases have been recorded to date, making Mizoram the state with the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence in the country.
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Chief Minister Lalduhoma had earlier said that 97.38 per cent of HIV-positive cases detected in the 2024–25 fiscal year were transmitted either through unprotected sex or through the sharing of needles and syringes by injecting drug users.
Of these, sexual transmission accounted for 68.13 per cent, while 29.25 per cent were linked to drug use.