Fiji declares national HIV crisis as cases surge

Fiji has declared a national HIV crisis, with the virus now infecting one in every 60 adults in the South Pacific nation. The number of new HIV diagnoses in 2025 surged to 2,016 - a 16-fold increase from 2019, according to health officials. Health Minister Atonio Lalabalavu officially declared a national emergency, highlighting the urgent need for a coordinated response from the entire government.

The government has pledged to expand access to free HIV testing, prevention services, and treatment, including rapid testing, prevention medicine for high-risk individuals, harm-reduction measures for drug users, and free treatment for those diagnosed with HIV. The government also plans to introduce legislation for a needle and syringe programme, receiving support from Australia, New Zealand, India, the Global Fund, and the UN.

UNAIDS welcomed Fiji's plans to address the epidemic, emphasizing the country's opportunity to change the course of the crisis. Eamonn Murphy, UNAIDS director for the Asia and Pacific region, called for stronger cooperation across the Pacific and sustained international solidarity to reinforce national efforts and accelerate action.

HIV transmission rates began to rise around 2019, coinciding with the emergence of a group of very high-risk injecting drug users, primarily within the sex worker community. Pacific islands, including Fiji, have served as transit hubs for drugs from Latin America and Asia en route to lucrative markets in Australia and New Zealand. The flow of addictive drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine surged following a decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, facilitated by foreign criminal syndicates paying local facilitators in kind.