Fiji declares national HIV emergency as 1 in 60 adults affected
Fiji has declared a national HIV emergency after a sharp rise in infections. (Getty Images)
Fiji has declared a national HIV emergency after a sharp rise in infections, with the government estimating that one in every 60 adults in Fiji is now living with HIV.
Fiji’s health and medical services minister Dr Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu said in the health minister’s Facebook statement: “Today I am formally declaring a national health emergency in Fiji.
“This decision recognises the seriousness of the epidemic and the urgent coordinated response our country now needs.”
A Fiji Government Facebook post states that the estimates recorded have worsened sharply in recent years, putting the 2025 figure at 2,016 new diagnoses, 16 times the number recorded in 2019, including 59 babies born with HIV.
UNAIDS warns that the crisis is “a stark reminder to the world that AIDS is not over”.
In 2025, an estimated 9,100 people were living with HIV in Fiji, with 39% aware of their status and 22% accessing antiretroviral treatment.
Among cases with a known mode of transmission, over half were linked to sexual transmission and more than 42% to injecting drug use.
Emergency declaration and the scale of the surge
Lalabalavu said the emergency declaration followed a cabinet decision on 9 September. UNAIDS issued its response on 16 September, with executive director Winnie Byanyima saying: “Fiji has recognised the urgency of the moment and is stepping up its response.”
Fiji is a Pacific island country with a population of approximately 900,000.
HIV responses typically combine prevention (including condoms and PrEP), testing, treatment (ART) and stigma reduction, with needle-and-syringe programmes used as harm reduction where injecting drug use contributes to transmission.
The global HIV movement has deep ties to LGBTQ+ activism, with community-led organisations historically central to prevention, care access and anti-stigma work.
Needle-and-syringe plans and anti-stigma message
UNAIDS said it welcomed plans to introduce a needle-and-syringe programme, with legislative amendments expected to go before parliament, alongside efforts to expand prevention, testing and access to treatment, as set out in the UNAIDS statement.
Eamonn Murphy, UNAIDS Pacific regional director, said: “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.”
