Mizoram records India’s highest cancer incidence, steps up HPV vaccination drive

Aizawl: Mizoram has the highest cancer incidence and mortality rates in India, with Aizawl district recording an age-adjusted incidence rate of 269.4 per one lakh men, a senior official of the state’s Health and Family Welfare Department said on Sunday.

Stomach and lung cancers are the leading causes of cancer in the state, the official said, attributing the high burden largely to widespread tobacco and betel nut consumption, dietary habits and genetic factors.

To strengthen the healthcare system, the Mizoram government on January 23 signed an Externally Aided Project loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank for a programme titled “Supporting Public Health Care System Strengthening to Achieve Universal Healthcare for Mizoram”, popularly known as the Mizoram Universal Healthcare Scheme (MUHCS).

The official added that the World Bank-funded Mizoram Health Systems Strengthening Project has been successfully implemented and is scheduled to close by March 2026. Under this initiative, the Mizoram State Super Speciality Cancer and Research Centre is being established in Aizawl under the Health and Family Welfare Department.

Addressing a function in Aizawl on Saturday, State Health and Family Welfare Minister Lalrinpuii expressed concern that Mizoram’s cancer incidence rate is among the highest in the country relative to its population. She noted that even the Director of Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai — where many Mizo patients seek treatment, had remarked on the unusually high number of cancer cases among people from the state.

The Minister said experts have identified high consumption of tobacco products, unhealthy dietary patterns — including excessive intake of smoked meat, pork fat and oils, and lifestyle factors as major contributors to Mizoram’s cancer burden.

She pointed out that breast cancer remains the most common cancer among women in India, followed by cervical cancer. Highlighting that 99.7% of cervical cancer cases are caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), she described the free vaccination programme as a crucial preventive intervention and urged all eligible 14-year-old girls to avail themselves of the vaccine.

Mizoram Chief Secretary Khilli Ram Meena, who also spoke at the event, said that one in five cervical cancer patients globally is from India. He termed the free vaccination drive for adolescent girls — future mothers of the nation — a timely and vital measure. He added that Mizoram has one of the highest cervical cancer rates in the country and that screening levels among women in the state remain low.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the nationwide HPV Vaccination Campaign for 14-year-old girls to prevent cervical cancer. The programme was rolled out virtually across all states and Union Territories from Ajmer.

Health officials in Mizoram expressed hope that the combined push for vaccination, screening and health system strengthening would help reduce the state’s disproportionately high cancer incidence and mortality rates in the coming years.