Saitual First Mizoram District to Achieve ‘Surakshit’ HIV Status
Sep 09, 2026
Saitual district has become the first and only district in Mizoram to achieve ‘Surakshit’ status under the National AIDS Control Organisation’s (NACO) Mobilisation AIDS Suraksha (MAS) campaign after meeting all three 95-95-95 HIV treatment and prevention targets.
The UNAIDS-linked 95-95-95 targets require 95 per cent of people living with HIV to know their status, 95 per cent of those diagnosed to receive antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 95 per cent of those on treatment to achieve viral load suppression.
Under the MAS campaign, districts are classified into four categories based on their progress. ‘Sangharshee’ denotes districts yet to achieve any of the three targets, ‘Saksham’ refers to those meeting two targets, while ‘Surakshit’ is awarded to districts that achieve all three. The highest category, ‘Surakshit+’, is given to districts that also achieve zero mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
Launched in February, the MAS campaign aims to break the chain of HIV transmission by helping districts achieve the 95-95-95 targets. Progress is reviewed regularly at the district level under the leadership of deputy commissioners.
According to the August review, Saitual achieved the ‘Surakshit’ benchmark, making it the first district in Mizoram to reach the milestone.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Zothanpari Chhakchhuak credited the achievement to the support of Saitual Deputy Commissioner Srinivas Sadi and the close cooperation of community leaders, NGOs and churches. Their efforts, particularly in promoting HIV testing and awareness, played a key role in improving the district’s performance.
Dr Chhakchhuak stressed that sustained efforts would be necessary to maintain the achievement. She called for large-scale HIV testing to ensure that more people know their status and urged people living with HIV to continue taking ART regularly.
The achievement marks a significant step in Mizoram’s efforts to strengthen HIV prevention, treatment and community-based awareness programmes.
