Fiji declares national HIV crisis
· Medical Xpressedited by Andrew Zinin
Andrew Zinin
Chief Editor
Meet our editorial team
Behind our editorial process
Editors' notes
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:
fact-checked
reputable news agency
proofread
The GIST Add as preferred source
Fiji has declared a national HIV crisis as sexual transmission and illicit drug use help spread the virus, now infecting an estimated one in 60 adults in the Pacific nation.
New HIV diagnoses surged to 2,016 cases in 2025—16 times the level recorded in 2019, authorities said, vowing a "whole-of-government" response.
"I am formally declaring a national HIV emergency in Fiji," Health Minister Atonio Lalabalavu told reporters on Wednesday.
"This decision recognizes the seriousness of the epidemic and the urgent, coordinated response our country now needs."
An estimated one in 60 adults in Fiji has HIV—up from one in 167 five years earlier, the government said.
Two in every 100 pregnant women carry the virus, it said. Of the 59 babies born with HIV in 2025, 18 died before their first birthday.
The government said it was expanding access to free HIV testing, prevention services and treatment.
"This includes rapid testing, prevention medicine for people at higher risk, harm-reduction measures for people who inject drugs, and free treatment for people diagnosed with HIV."
Fiji said it was receiving external support in the effort, including from Australia, New Zealand, India, the Global Fund and the United Nations.
Among HIV cases with a known mode of transmission, more than half were linked to sexual transmission and more than 42% to injecting drug use, UNAIDS said.
Change the course
The U.N. agency welcomed Fiji's plans to introduce legislation for a needle and syringe program.
"Fiji still has an opportunity to change the course of this epidemic," said Eamonn Murphy, UNAIDS director for regions including Asia and the Pacific.
"Stronger cooperation across the Pacific and sustained international solidarity can reinforce the national effort and help accelerate action," he said in a statement.
HIV transmission rates began to increase around 2019 when a group of "very high-risk" injecting drug users emerged, primarily in the sex worker community, UNAIDS country director Renata Ram told AFP in Fiji earlier this year.
Pacific islands including Fiji have been transit hubs for drugs from Latin America and Asia destined for lucrative markets in Australia and New Zealand.
The flow of highly addictive drugs such as methamphetamine and cocaine rose sharply after a lull during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime.
Those drugs are increasingly seeping into the Pacific's domestic markets—in part because foreign criminal syndicates are opting to pay their local facilitators in kind.
Key medical concepts
Clinical categories
Infectious diseasesHIV & AIDSCommon illnesses & Prevention Who's behind this story?
Andrew Zinin
Master's in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X's editorial success. Full profile →
© 2026 AFP
Citation: Fiji declares national HIV crisis (2026, September 17) retrieved 17 September 2026 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-fiji-declares-national-hiv-crisis.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.