Fiji declares state of emergency over rapid spread of HIV — NPR World
The government of Fiji declared a state of emergency in mid-September due to a sharp increase in the number of HIV cases. It is estimated that more than 9,000 people in the country are living with HIV, and the health minister said that one in 60 adults has the virus. The number of HIV cases in Fiji increased 12-fold between 2010 and 2025, NPR World reports.
Injecting methamphetamine
Jason Mitchell, head of the national HIV outbreak and cluster response team, called the situation the fastest-growing HIV epidemic in the world. According to him, two-thirds of cases involve people aged 20 to 34.
Experts link the spread of the infection, among other factors, to increased use of crystal methamphetamine among young people. According to medical workers, the country has seen a shift from smoking the drug to injecting it, while a shortage of sterile needles contributes to their shared use. Doctor Sailsosi Soko also reported a practice in which one person injects the drug and another then injects that person's blood.
According to experts, unemployment, deteriorating mental health, and restrictions on the movement of drugs to Australia and New Zealand may have contributed to the spread of methamphetamine after the COVID-19 pandemic. Soko said communities had reported cases of children as young as nine injecting drugs.
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Barriers to testing and treatment
Sexual transmission accounted for approximately half of new HIV cases in 2025. A 2021 survey found that among people aged 15 to 49 who had multiple sexual partners during the previous year, 24% of men and 9% of women used a condom during their last sexual encounter.
According to Dashika Balak, who heads national treatment, care and support programs for people with HIV, the country may have between 9,100 and 12,000 people with the infection. Only 5,676 of them have been officially diagnosed, and even fewer patients take antiretroviral therapy regularly.
Australia announced a 48 million aid package in August to combat HIV in Fiji. Priorities include testing at all antenatal clinics: in 2025, 59 children were born with HIV. Medical workers are also forming specialized response teams at 21 locations and plan to expand access to PrEP and antiretroviral therapy. At the same time, a proposal to distribute sterile needles to methamphetamine users has faced objections from law enforcement agencies, Soko said.
If the rate of the infection's spread does not change, 25,000 Fiji residents may be living with HIV by 2029, experts predict.
