Aizawl: Mizoram now records the highest cancer incidence and mortality rates in India, with Aizawl district reporting an age-adjusted incidence rate of 269.4 per one lakh (100,000) men, a senior official from the state’s Health and Family Welfare Department said on Sunday. Stomach and lung cancers top the list of causes, and officials attribute the heavy burden largely to widespread tobacco and betel nut use, dietary habits and possible genetic factors.
To bolster the state’s health system, the Mizoram government on January 23 signed an Externally Aided Project loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank for the “Supporting Public Health Care System Strengthening to Achieve Universal Healthcare for Mizoram” programme, commonly called the Mizoram Universal Healthcare Scheme (MUHCS). The official also said the World Bank-funded Mizoram Health Systems Strengthening Project has been successfully implemented and is scheduled to close by March 2026; under that project the Mizoram State Super Speciality Cancer and Research Centre is being established in Aizawl.
Speaking at a function in Aizawl on Saturday, State Health and Family Welfare Minister Lalrinpuii warned that Mizoram’s cancer rate is unusually high for its population. She said even the director of Mumbai’s Tata Memorial Hospital — where many patients from Mizoram seek treatment — has noted an unusually large number of cases from the state. Experts, she added, have linked the trend to high consumption of tobacco products and betel nut, plus unhealthy dietary patterns such as excessive intake of smoked meat, pork fat and cooking oils, as well as lifestyle and genetic factors.
The minister emphasised that breast cancer remains the most common cancer among Indian women, followed by cervical cancer, and highlighted that about 99.7% of cervical cancer cases are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). She urged eligible 14‑year‑old girls to take advantage of the free HPV vaccination programme. Mizoram Chief Secretary Khilli Ram Meena said one in five cervical cancer patients globally comes from India and described the vaccination drive for adolescent girls as a timely, vital measure, noting that cervical cancer rates in Mizoram are among the highest in the country while screening levels remain low.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the nationwide HPV Vaccination Campaign for 14‑year‑old girls to prevent cervical cancer; the campaign was rolled out virtually from Ajmer across all states and Union Territories. Health officials in Mizoram said they hope the combined push for vaccination, improved screening and strengthened health systems will reduce the state’s disproportionately high cancer incidence and mortality in the years ahead.
Original Source: https://nenow.in/north-east-news/mizoram/mizoram-records-indias-highest-cancer-incidence-steps-up-hpv-vaccination-drive.html
Category: Mizoram,Northeast News,Top News
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Publish Date: 2026-03-01 23:27:00
