At least 9,637 people in Mizoram have been found to be HIV-positive while 587 AIDS patients died in the state in the last 24 years, according to Mizoram State AIDS Control Society.
MSACS officials told PTI that 2,97,375 blood samples have been tested since October 1990 till October this year.
The officials said that while the number of new infections decreased considerably, the change in the mode of transmission was disturbing.
"During the early years, intravenous drug users and sex workers were the high risk groups, but things have changed over the past years," they said, adding that as of now, an alarming 68.85 per cent of HIV positives got infected through unprotected sexual intercourse.
Students staged demonstrations on the streets as the World AIDS Day was observed here with placards reading - "Getting to Zero - Zero Infection, Zero Discrimination & Zero Death", the theme of the World AIDS Day 2014.
