Fiji declares HIV emergency after sharp rise in cases

Fiji has declared a national HIV emergency due to a sharp rise in new infections. The country's Health Minister, Dr Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu, made the announcement this week. According to the Daily Times, one in 60 adults in Fiji now lives with HIV, a significant increase from one in 167 adults five years ago.

The government and international agencies are working to contain the crisis, which is driven by sexual transmission and injection drug use, as reported by Euronews. The HIV prevalence in Fiji has almost tripled in the last five years, with the country recording 16 times more new cases in 2025 than in 2019, according to Deutsche Welle Science, DW English, and DW News.

Fiji recorded 2,016 new cases, although the year this figure relates to is not specified. The government is expanding testing, prevention, and treatment services in response to the crisis.

Brief written by urgent.news from Daily Times, Euronews, Deutsche Welle Science, DW English (Top Stories), DW News — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.