Fiji declares national HIV emergency as case numbers surge
Fiji's government declared a national HIV emergency as the reported number of people living with the disease has climbed in recent years, according to officials.
The Pacific island reported that approximately 1 in every 60 adults is now living with HIV, up from 1 in 167 five years ago, Fiji's Ministry of Health and Medical Services said in a statement.
"This decision recognizes the seriousness of the epidemic and the urgent, coordinated response our country now needs," Ratu Antonio Lalabalavu, minister for health and medical services, said in a press statement on Tuesday. "An outbreak-level response is no longer sufficient," he added.
"No more business as usual," the ministry said.
The government declared an HIV outbreak in January 2025, prompting an increase in HIV testing, Lalabalavu said.
In 2025, 2,016 people were newly diagnosed, 16 times more than in 2019, according to the ministry.
"As testing expanded, we've identified more people living with HIV," Lalabalavu said. "Some of the increase in reported diagnoses reflects [those] greater rates, but the findings also show the seriousness of the epidemic."
The government offers free HIV testing that provides on-the-spot results, free prevention medications for those at higher risk, free needles for those who inject drugs and free treatment for all those who test positive, according to the ministry.
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) issued a statement Wednesday in support of Fiji's declaration and strengthened response efforts, noting that the nation is facing one of the sharpest increases in new HIV infections in the world.
"Fiji has recognized the urgency of the moment and is stepping up its response," Winnie Byanyima, executive director of UNAIDS, said in the statement. "It is also a stark reminder to the world that AIDS is not over. HIV epidemics can change quickly, and countries need health and community systems that are ready to respond urgently."
Over half of Fiji's cases with a known mode of transmission were linked to sexual transmission and 42% to injecting drug use, according to UNAIDS.
HIV is a blood-borne virus that attacks the body's immune system and, if left untreated, can lead to AIDS, which occurs at the most advanced stage of infection, according to the World Health Organization.
The Ministry of Health and Medical Services briefed Christina Cavallo, the U.S. Embassy's chargé d'affaires in Suva, on the epidemic in a meeting on Thursday, according to the ministry.
In the meeting, the U.S. said it would explore technical assistance through Strides, an upcoming program designed to strengthen Fiji's laboratory capacity, disease surveillance, and outbreak preparedness, the ministry said.
