Fiji Declares National HIV Emergency Amid Surge In Infections

Fiji Declares National HIV Emergency Amid Surge in Infections

Fiji has declared a national HIV emergency following a sharp rise in new infections, with health authorities linking the worsening crisis to sexual transmission and illicit drug use. The Pacific island nation recorded 2,016 newly registered HIV cases in 2025, the highest annual number since surveillance began, according to Fiji’s Ministry of Health. that the figure was 16 times the level recorded in 2019. Health Minister Atonio Lalabalavu formally announced the emergency, saying the scale of the outbreak requires an urgent and coordinated response across government. The Fijian government estimates that one in every 60 adults in the country is now living with HIV, compared with an estimated one in 167 five years ago. UNAIDS estimates that about 9,100 people were living with HIV in Fiji in 2025, but only 39 per cent knew their HIV status and just 22 per cent were receiving antiretroviral treatment. The government has also reported HIV among pregnant women at approximately one in 50. UNAIDS said that among cases where the mode of transmission was known, more than half were linked to sexual transmission, while more than 42 per cent were associated with injecting drug use. Authorities and health organisations have pointed to increasing methamphetamine use, unsafe injecting practices, limited access to clean needles, low condom use, inadequate testing and stigma as factors complicating the response. UNAIDS said new HIV infections in Fiji increased 12-fold between 2010 and 2025, making the country one of the places experiencing the sharpest increases globally. The government is planning to expand HIV testing and treatment, increase access to pre-exposure prophylaxis PrEP and introduce long-acting prevention options. Authorities also plan to establish a formal needle and syringe programme, with legislative amendments expected to be presented to Parliament. UNAIDS welcomed the emergency declaration, saying the move should accelerate prevention, testing and treatment while strengthening community involvement and efforts to tackle stigma. The agency stressed that the declaration should be viewed as a call for action rather than fear, noting that HIV is not transmitted through everyday contact and that people receiving effective treatment who maintain an undetectable viral load do not sexually transmit the virus.