SUVA: Fiji has declared HIV a national crisis after new diagnoses rose by 27 per cent last year, prompting the government to step up efforts to expand testing, prevention and treatment across the Pacific island nation.
The Fijian government said 2,016 people were diagnosed with HIV in 2025, while an estimated one in 60 adults in the country was living with the virus.
The figures have raised growing concern that HIV, which was once largely concentrated among people who inject drugs, is increasingly spreading through wider sections of the population.
59 babies born with HIV
In a statement posted on Facebook, the government said 59 babies were born with HIV last year and 18 of them died before reaching their first birthday.
Authorities said increased testing had contributed to the rise in recorded infections by identifying people who might previously have remained undiagnosed. They said earlier detection would allow patients to begin treatment sooner and help reduce further transmission.
The government plans to expand access to free, voluntary and confidential HIV testing across the country, while also increasing access to preventive medicines and treatment.
It also plans to strengthen harm-reduction services for people who inject drugs, including needle-and-syringe programmes, alongside wider access to pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, a medicine that can substantially reduce the risk of contracting HIV when taken as prescribed.
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Fiji, with a population of about 900,000, is experiencing one of the world’s sharpest increases in new HIV infections, according to UNAIDS.
The agency estimates that around 9,100 people in Fiji were living with HIV last year. However, only 39 per cent were estimated to know their HIV status, while just 22 per cent were receiving antiretroviral treatment.
AIDS is not over
“Fiji has recognised the urgency of the moment and is stepping up its response,” UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said. “It is also a stark reminder to the world that AIDS is not over.”
UNAIDS said that among cases for which the route of transmission was known, more than half were associated with sexual transmission, while more than 42 per cent were linked to injecting drug use.
The agency welcomed Fiji’s plans to introduce a needle-and-syringe programme and expand access to PrEP as part of a broader response to the rise in infections.
The government has also established a five-minister Cabinet subcommittee tasked with identifying and removing barriers to an effective response to the crisis. Officials said discrimination against people living with HIV was illegal and that HIV-related services were available nationwide.
Fiji’s HIV rate remains lower
Despite the sharp increase in infections, Fiji’s estimated HIV prevalence remains below levels recorded in some parts of Africa. The World Health Organisation estimates that nearly one in 35 adults in some African countries is living with HIV, compared with Fiji’s estimate of one in 60 adults.
The government said its declaration of a national crisis was intended to strengthen coordination and accelerate measures to prevent new infections, improve diagnosis and ensure that people living with HIV have access to treatment and support.
