HIV/AIDS
Representative photo. Image credit - jis.gov.jm

As number of drug users is increasing in Tripura, the number of HIV patients is also increasing in the State.

Tripura Aids Control Society’s officials informed, increasing number of injectable drug users has pushed the number of HIV patients in the State.

According to Tripura Aids Control Society, at present the State has 1622 HIV positive cases.

Among them 633 are women and 85 children.

As many as 170 new cases have been detected this year.

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Among these most were found that people infected with HIV due to injectable drug use.

Officials told that last year the number was nearly 1400.

They also added that, in every year nearly 200 new patients are registered in Tripura.

The number of HIV positive case is high in North Tripura district among all the eight districts in Tripura.

North Tripura district has 462 cases and it has the border with Bangladesh and Mizoram.

According to the Tripura Aids Control Society officials, the injectable drug use is spreading HIV in the north-eastern states, bordering with Bangladesh, Nepal, China, Myanmar and Bhutan.

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Mizoram has recorded the highest HIV prevalence rate in the country with 2.04 per cent.

This is followed by Manipur with 1.43 per cent, Nagaland 1.15 per cent and Tripura 0.09 per cent.