Shillong | Meghalaya has recorded a 58.74 per cent increase in new HIV infections since 2010, while AIDS-related deaths have declined by 61.18 per cent during the same period, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said on Wednesday.

Sangma said the state currently has 618 people living with HIV, including 60 pregnant women. He was speaking while chairing the first meeting of the Meghalaya State Council on AIDS in Shillong. According to the Chief Minister, HIV prevalence in Meghalaya stands at 0.40 per cent, twice the national average of 0.20 per cent.

He said the state’s efforts to address HIV/AIDS required coordinated action involving government agencies and society. “Only 77.2 per cent of people living with HIV are on treatment. Our biggest gap today is not diagnosis but treatment and retention,” Sangma said.

He identified financial constraints and social stigma as major barriers to continued treatment. As many as 2,381 people who have been diagnosed with HIV are yet to begin treatment, he said. Sangma outlined a five-pronged strategy to tackle the disease, focusing on early detection, improved treatment and retention, prevention of new infections, protection of mothers and children, and reduction of stigma.

The Chief Minister said the government would work with communities and other stakeholders to strengthen the state’s response to HIV/AIDS.