Member of IDU Support Group
Mizoram is one of the states in India which has been hardest hit by drug–use–driven HIV. Proximity to the Myanmar border, from where heroin is often sourced in the state, is the main contributor to the prevalence of drug/injecting drug use. Majority of the HIV infections in Mizoram are among injecting drug users (IDUs), hence, preventing HIV transmission requires attention to its twin, the injecting drug use.In Mizoram, recent HIV/AIDS–IDU prevention and care approaches have tried hard to address the pressing needs, like abscess treatment, which is an entry point, and link to other interventions including care services, referral systems and harm reduction approaches to address the needs of HIV–infected drug users, and their affected co–dependents.
Considering IDUs are a particularly hard–to–reach group in Mizoram, there have been debates among key stakeholders on the need to create an enabling environment for IDUs through networks, partnerships, legal advocacy and more specifically, those which can be sustained.
