Mizoram in AIDS snare, 197 full-blo

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Mizoram in AIDS snare, 197 full-blown reported

By SURAJIT TALUKDAR
The Northeast Daily - Guwahati
May 11, 2000

SILCHAR, MAY 10: The tiny hilly state of Mizoram is finding itself in a
tricky position in its battle against AIDS and HIV-related cases.

Sources close to the Mizoram health department informed the Northeast
Daily that there are at least 197 cases of full-blown AIDS and another
350 HIV-positive cases in the state at present.

According to a very recent study, for every HIV-positive case detected
in the state, there could be at least ten cases which go undetected.

Sources in the Mizoram social welfare ministry said that the state
government has been moving heaven and earth to provide special attention
on 'safe sex' in its battle against AIDS. But this is not giving the
desired results as commercial sex workers are not paying any attention
to the appeals of the government.

Apart from the AIDS cases that are sourced to unsafe sex, drug-related
AIDS cases are now threatening to surpass the former. A recent survey
conducted by the Salvation Army stated that more than 45 per cent of the
approximately 1.25 lakh Mizo youths are already sucked into the vortex
of drug abuse. The survey also stated that at least 89 percent Mizo
youths are addicted to proxyvon, a pain killer drug which is
administered intravenously.

Sources in the state excise (narcotics) office said that at least 35
youths in the age group of 16 to 35 years died of proxyvon overdose till
the end of 1999. Narcotics officials seized over 1,95,000 capsules last
year. The sources stated that now-a-days, a large number of medicine
shops in the capital town clandestinely sell proxyvon. Narcotics
department officials claim that Bhaga Bazar, a small sleepy township in
Cachar district of Assam, is fast turning into hotbed of drug smuggling,
and most of the drug addicts in Mizoram are getting their supplies from
there.