Higher HIV prevalence and ignorance in M'laya

The major goal of planning a multi-media campaign of this kind, according to Joram Beda, Commissioner and Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare department, is to raise awareness. “We’ve pushed back the boundaries of science and accelerated research and development.” We are currently actively seeking a treatment. We have fought for the rights of the most disadvantaged and marginalized people,” he declared.
He claims that decreasing funding and indications of waning political commitment put the progress they’ve made in jeopardy. According to Beda, “we need to amplify the impact on investment and accelerate our efforts to eliminate AIDS.”
RM Kurbah, the deputy commissioner for East Khasi Hills, and Isawanda, the director of sports and youth affairs, were among the other speakers at the occasion.

SHILLONG: Meghalaya suffers from both the dearth of knowledge on HIV and the “alarming” 0.42 percent adult HIV prevalence rate in the state, which is higher than the 0.21 percent national average.
Dr. B Decruse, the Project Director of the Meghalaya AIDS Control Society (MACS), made this revelation on Wednesday at the Red Fest-The North East Multimedia Campaign (NEMMC) kickoff event. The event was held at the Lariti Centre for Performing Arts, Mawkasiang, New Shillong Township, and was themed “North East United Against HIV/AIDS.”
Decruse reported that while several States and Union Territories in the nation are experiencing a declining trend,

While most States and Union Territories in the nation are seeing a declining trend, Decruse stated that the trend is rising for the states in the Northeastern area.
“The current state of HIV in Meghalaya and the Northeastern states is extremely concerning,” the speaker stated.
According to the HIV epidemic’s behavior and the epidemiological relevance of the Northeastern states, the states of Mizoram (2.34%), Nagaland (1.34%), and Manipur (0.94%) have some of the highest rates of adult HIV prevalence, according to data from the IBBS 2014–15 and estimates for 2022.
Remarking that the state’s population knows relatively little about HIV/AIDS, she claimed that just 17% of individuals do.

The individual stated that the state’s population had relatively low awareness of HIV/AIDS, with only 17% of men and 60% of women knowing about the disease.
“Those who are HIV positive face a significant amount of discrimination. In order to meet this challenge, MACS is dedicated to stepping up its awareness- and sensitization-raising efforts throughout the state, starting in the villages and continuing through schools, colleges, and universities as well as workplaces, the spokesperson stated.
According to her, the MACS aims to encourage testing and counseling, as well as connecting people to therapy and treatment adherence.

According to Decruse, their Prevention Unit is attempting to connect with both injecting drug users and the target demographic.
She said that the HIV/AIDS issue is still very difficult to solve despite all of the efforts that have been made.
“Consequently, all concerned citizens should unite in support of the North East Multimedia campaign through joint efforts with NACO (National AIDS Control Organization) and MACS,” the speaker stated.
The campaign targets the youth and vulnerable population with the goals of increasing awareness, empowering communities, and supporting the issue of HIV/AIDS in the Northeastern region.
Its goal, according to her, is to identify and support local musicians, giving them a platform to share their gifts and empowering them in the process.

“North East United against HIV AIDS” was the event’s tagline.
However, NACO Deputy Director Bhavana Rao noted during her speech at the event that there is a concerning trend in the incidence and prevalence of HIV in the Northeastern states. She said, “We really need to work on it.”
“Compared to the data we had in 2010, certain states in Northeast India experienced an increase in the number of new HIV infections annually in 2022. Therefore, a 150% growth has been observed in Meghalaya, according to the yearly report. Furthermore, with a more than 200% increase, the situation is even worse in Arunachal and Tripura, according to the NACO Deputy Director.

She went on to say that the prevalence is more than one percent in Mizoram and Nagaland, two states in the Northeast.
Giving young people access to accurate information and opportunity is crucial. By 2030, we want to have eradicated AIDS as a hazard to public health,” the speaker stated.
The major goal of planning a multi-media campaign of this kind, according to Joram Beda, Commissioner and Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare department, is to raise awareness. “We’ve pushed back the boundaries of science and accelerated research and development.” We are currently actively seeking a treatment. We have fought for the rights of the most disadvantaged and marginalized people,” he declared.