The three-day Suraksha Sankalp Karyashala under Mission AIDS Suraksha concluded in Guwahati today, intensifying district-level HIV response strategies in the Northeastern States of Nagaland and Tripura.

Addressing the concluding session, Dr. Rakesh Gupta, Additional Secretary & Director General, National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, reiterated the national commitment to ending AIDS as a public health threat. He stated that India has set a clear goal to attain HIV control by 1 December 2027 and that every high-priority district must convert this commitment into measurable progress aligned with the 95-95-99 targets.

The final day of the workshop focused on 15 identified high-priority districts in Nagaland, which has an adult HIV prevalence of 1.37 per cent, with an estimated burden of approximately 24,000 people living with HIV. Districts including Chumoukedima, Dimapur, Kiphire, Kohima, Longleng, Mokokchung, Niuland, Noklak, Peren, Phek, Shamator, Tseminyu, Tuensang, Wokha and Zunheboto were comprehensively reviewed to strengthen district-level outcomes under Mission AIDS Suraksha. The deliberations underscored the need for focused micro-planning, improved surveillance and strengthened community engagement to translate epidemiological data into decisive and time-bound action.

In Tripura, discussions highlighted the rising trend of Injecting Drug Use (IDU) as an emerging public health challenge. The State has an adult HIV prevalence of 0.39 per cent and an estimated burden of 11,000 people living with HIV. Seven districts—Dhalai, Gomati, Khowai, North Tripura, South Tripura, Unakoti and West Tripura—were assessed for district-specific interventions. The workshop emphasised the importance of strengthening peer-led targeted interventions, scaling up harm reduction services including Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST), enhancing early diagnosis, improving linkage to Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) and ensuring sustained viral suppression through improved treatment adherence.

Dr. Nupur Debbarma, MD, NHM Tripura, also participated in the workshop and shared insights on addressing IDU-related vulnerabilities and improving service delivery mechanisms in high-burden districts.

Over the course of three days, the workshop undertook comprehensive reviews of all 60 high-priority districts across the Northeastern region. The deliberations are expected to culminate in clear, time-bound district-specific action plans aligned with the epidemiological profile of each State, reinforcing the Government of India’s continued commitment to ending AIDS as a public health threat.

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KSY/SS

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