Tripura has higher prevalence of HIV among adults than national average: Assembly report

According to the Health and Family Welfare Department, the state recorded 1,845 people with HIV and AIDS in 2022-23, followed by 1,790 in 2023-24 and 1,185 in 2024-25 (till January this year).

To address the issue, the CM elaborated on the various initiatives adopted by the state government such as the district-level sensitisation programme on HIV/AIDS involving principals of 220 schools where intravenous drug practices were identified. In January, the government also held integrated health campaigns in West Tripura district to test and identify the HIV/Hepatitis B/Hepatitis C/Syphilis cases among the vulnerable groups, displayed messages on HIV/AIDS and drug abuse on huge LED screens in the state as part of mass awareness, he added.

Besides, three new satellite opioid substitution therapy centres have been made functional since September last year till this January at South Tripura and Dhalai districts, the CM said.

In January’s Assembly session, Saha had said that according to NACO estimation report of 2023, Tripura saw 1.12 AIDS-related deaths out of every one lakh unaffected people in 2021 – a figure that came down to 0.99 in 2022 but again rose to 1.08 in 2023.

The CM also said that 512 AIDS-related deaths were recorded in Tripura from 2015 to 2024. These include 66 deaths in 2015-16, 65 in 2016-17, 66 in 2017-18, 76 in 2018-19, 44 in 2019-20, 69 in 2020-21, 74 in 2021-22 and 52 AIDS-related deaths in 2023-24.

He also cited NACO data to state that Tripura had 7,707 AIDS patients in 2021 – a figure which rose to 8,943 in 2022 and further shot up to 10,126 in 2023.

CM Saha had said last year that a large number of people turned to drug-addiction for the need of gratification and every month 150-200 fresh HIV cases are being reported in Tripura, especially among a section of youths who show a tendency to go towards drug abuse.

The first case of any HIV positive patient in Tripura was recorded in 1996.