| Over 40,000 drugs users in Nagaland |
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 Kohima, November 19: Expressing deep concern over the alarming increase in the prevalence rate of drug users and HIV in Nagaland, Minister for Health & Family Welfare Kuzholuzo Nienu today called for addressing the issues on war-footing.
“Nagaland has an estimated number of more than 40,000 drugs users and approximately 27,000 injecting drug users in the state,” said Nienu, speaking at the 2nd general assembly of the Indian Drug Users Forum here today at Hotel Japfu, hosted by Nagaland Users Network of Kohima. Nienu said the state government has acknowledged that one of the strategies to address the HIV epidemic is by ‘scaling up prevention’ amongst injecting drug users ‘through harm reduction approach.’ “Having recognized the importance, the government has also identified harm reduction as a preventive strategy in the Nagaland State AIDS Policy,” the minister said. It is no more a time for Nagaland to be complacent of the situation, he said and stressed on the need to continue to aggressively address the epidemic at various levels. Ever since the first case of HIV was detected in Nagaland in 1990 from amongst the Injecting Drug Users, the government of Nagaland under the aegis of the Nagaland State AIDS Control Society along with National AIDS Control Society and local NGOs has been implementing the Harm Reduction programme through the targeted intervention projects. Nienu lauded the efforts of NSACS and NGOs for bringing down the infection from 12% in 2008-09 to 6% in 2009-2010. “In our tryst we also should consider that the younger generations has to be informed on time about the vulnerability and relationship between HIV and Drugs,” Nienu maintained. The minister also asserted that those who have through the addiction and are in recovery stage can become the best role models to tell the younger generations to abstain from drug use and inform those who are already into drugs to seek help and ensure safe behaviour. “We should ensure that it is basic right to access to health and a responsibility to protect ourselves and others from any disease,” the minister said. He hoped that the event where the community members come together to address an issue, will produce desire results. “We are open to receive your suggestions and inputs which will help us to scale up our effort in curbing the HIV epidemic especially amongst the injecting drug users,” Nienu assured. The event will end on November 21. Former drug users, current substantial abuse from across the country are participating in the three-day event.(Morung Express) 
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