Nagaland to launch intensified HIV,STI awareness campaign today

DIMAPUR: The Nagaland State AIDS Control Society (NSACS), under the aegis of the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), will launch the third round of the Intensified Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Campaign on HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) on August 12, coinciding with International Youth Day, at Agri Expo, 4th Mile, Chümoukedima.
Health & Family Welfare minister P. Paiwang Konyak will formally launch the two-month campaign, which will focus on strengthening awareness on HIV and STIs, promoting prevention and early testing, addressing stigma and discrimination, and improving access to related health services.
Aligned with NACO priorities and the Mobilization for AIDS Suraksha (MAS) approach, the campaign will adopt a district-led, data-driven and result-focused strategy, with all 17 districts taking greater ownership based on local needs, data and identified gaps. District-level campaigns will also be launched across the State on International Youth Day.
During the two-month campaign, NSACS will conduct 550 village-level meetings across 287 villages, at least 5,500 household door-to-door outreach activities and 540 school outreach sessions.
The campaign will also include 110 folk performances in rural areas, 64 college awareness sessions, 50 urban flash-mob activities and 17 special health camps at government hospitals, covering all 17 districts.
To strengthen digital outreach, particularly among young people, 40 social media influencers will be engaged along with a dedicated two-month social media campaign. The campaign will promote the HIV Self-Risk Assessment Tool and BreakFree to provide young people with accessible information and avenues to assess their risk and connect with appropriate HIV and STI services.
NSACS said the campaign would contribute to the goals of the National AIDS Control Programme, including the 95:95:99 targets, while emphasising testing, treatment, care and support.
A major feature of the launch will be the flagging off of five new Health on Bike outreach motorbikes for Niuland, Tseminyu, Tuensang, Mokokchung-Longchem and Mon-Tobu. These will add to the eight Health on Bike motorbikes already provided to eight districts.
Under the initiative “Health on Bike – Reaching the Unreached,” essential HIV prevention, testing and related services will be taken closer to communities where difficult terrain and limited connectivity restrict access to routine healthcare services.
The minister will also flag off the Intensified IEC Campaign 2026 Bike Rally, featuring 25 bikers carrying messages on HIV and STI awareness, prevention and solidarity. Similar rallies will be held in nine other districts.
The launch programme will bring together senior government and health officials, district administrations, district health programme officers, partner NGOs, community leaders, teachers, students and young people.
The campaign will run across Nagaland for the next two months with the call to move “from awareness to action, from mobilisation to results, and from stigma to solidarity.”