Fiji declares national HIV emergency as cases surge
Fiji announced a national emergency over HIV after reporting more than 2,000 new infections in 2025, prompting expanded testing, treatment and harm-reduction measures.
Fiji has declared a national HIV emergency following data that show a rapid increase in infections, with more than 2,000 new cases reported in 2025. The government said the rise is linked to increased crystal methamphetamine use and needle sharing among drug users.
Health Minister Atonio Lalabalavu said the response will involve a whole-of-government effort focused on protection rather than judgment. The plan includes free testing, distribution of clean needles and provision of antiretroviral therapy, addressing gaps where only about 39% of people know their status and roughly 22% receive treatment.
UNAIDS estimates that about 9,000 people were living with HIV in Fiji in 2025, up from a rate of one in 167 adults five years earlier. The agency’s executive director, Winnie Byanyima, noted that Fiji’s increase is among the fastest globally and warned that the island’s role as a transport and tourism hub could facilitate spread to neighboring nations.
A United Nations Development Programme representative, Munkhtuya Altangerel, called the situation a development and human-rights challenge, urging swift action to scale up harm-reduction, testing and treatment.
The World Health Organization’s recent assessment highlighted unsafe injecting practices, including a trend where individuals share blood to achieve a high, and found that half of surveyed drug users injected with potentially contaminated syringes.