Fiji has declared HIV a national health crisis, pledging a “whole-of-government response” to address the significant rise in cases and protect communities across the country.
The Pacific island nation made the declaration after recording 2,016 new HIV diagnoses in 2025, 16 times the number recorded in 2019.
The figures suggest that the virus is spreading beyond groups traditionally considered at higher risk, including people who inject drugs and sex workers, into the wider population.
Fiji said the known adult prevalence of HIV had almost tripled in five years in the country, which has a population of just over 900,000.
“An estimated one in every 60 adults is now living with HIV, compared with one in 167 five years ago,” the government said yesterday.
It added that two in every 100 pregnant women were living with HIV, while 59 babies were born with the virus in 2025, with 18 dying before their first birthday.
However, the government said expanded testing was helping health services reach more people and identify cases that may previously have gone undetected, following a period of slower surveillance that began about a decade ago.
Health Minister Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu and four other relevant Cabinet ministers will form a subcommittee to “help remove barriers to rapid action.”
The government, based in the capital and port city of Suva, said it was expanding access to free HIV testing, prevention services and treatment, including rapid testing, preventive medication for people at high risk, harm-reduction measures for people who inject drugs and free treatment for people diagnosed with HIV.
“The response is focused on protecting lives, improving access to health services and reducing stigma,” the government said, adding that Fiji was receiving support from international partners, including Australia, New Zealand, India, the Global Fund and the United Nations.
It reminded residents that HIV testing was free and confidential across the country, saying that knowing one’s HIV status allowed people to take informed steps to protect their health and that of others.
UNAIDS, the United Nations agency leading the global response to HIV/AIDS, welcomed Fiji’s decision to accelerate its response.
“Fiji has recognised the urgency of the moment and is stepping up its response,” UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said.
The agency said more than half of Fijian cases with a known mode of transmission were linked to sexual transmission, while more than 42 per cent were associated with injecting drug use.
UNAIDS estimated that new HIV infections increased 12-fold between 2010 and 2025 in Fiji. It also estimated that of the 9,100 people living with HIV in 2025, only 39 per cent knew their status, while just 22 per cent were accessing antiretroviral treatment.
Despite the figures, the agency said advances in medical treatment and the increased effectiveness of HIV medicines meant there was still an opportunity to reverse the trend.
“The national crisis declaration is a call for action, not fear. HIV is not transmitted through everyday contact, and people on effective treatment with an undetectable viral load do not sexually transmit HIV,” UNAIDS Regional Director Eamonn Murphy said.
“Fiji still has an opportunity to change the course of this epidemic.”
UNAIDS Fiji Country Director Renata Ram told AFP that transmission rates began rising around 2019 after the emergence of a group of “very high-risk” people who inject drugs, primarily within the sex-worker community.
Pacific island countries such as Fiji have increasingly become transit hubs for drugs from Latin America and Asia destined for lucrative markets in Australia and New Zealand. The development has also contributed to increased drug use within the islands, sometimes involving foreign crime syndicates paying local associates with drugs.