Mizoram recorded 113 AIDS death

Aizawl, Dec 4 (UNI) Mizoram State AIDS Control Society today revealed that dreaded HIV/AIDS has claimed 113 lives so far in the state.

State Health Minister R Tlanghmingthanga admitted the fact and said, ''On record, 1,170 people have been tested HIV positive since 1990. What we need to remember that for every person, who is tested positive, there are 10 undetected cases.'' He said the number of detected cases was gathered from 32,072 blood samples, which show that HIV was mostly transmitted through unsafe sex.

Besides, Human Rights and Law Network (HRLN) also held a discussion on commercial sex workers. They said, ''We get figures only if the deaths occur in hospitals but in a state like Mizoram, it is difficult to keep track of patients in the rural areas.'' The officials of HRLN, however, said, ''Things are far more problematic in rural areas where blood is rarely tested.'' At present, about 18 NGOs across the state were working to prevent spread of HIV/AIDS in Mizoram.

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