By Robai Ludenyi
Fiji has declared a national HIV emergency after a sharp increase in infections linked to sexual transmission and injecting drug use, with the virus now estimated to affect one in 60 adults in the Pacific island nation.
Health Minister Atonio Lalabalavu announced the decision on Wednesday, saying the country required an urgent, coordinated response to address the growing epidemic. New HIV diagnoses reached 2,016 cases in 2025, representing a 16-fold increase from the number recorded in 2019. Government figures show that the estimated infection rate has risen from one in 167 adults five years ago to one in 60 today.
The health crisis is also affecting mothers and newborns. Approximately two in every 100 pregnant women in Fiji are living with HIV. In 2025, 59 babies were born with the virus, while 18 died before reaching their first birthday. In response, the government plans to expand free HIV testing, prevention services and treatment. The measures include rapid testing, preventive medication for people at higher risk, harm-reduction support for individuals who inject drugs and free treatment for those diagnosed with HIV.
Fiji is receiving support from Australia, New Zealand, India, the Global Fund and the United Nations as it works to contain the spread of the virus. According to UNAIDS, more than half of HIV cases with a known transmission route were associated with sexual transmission, while over 42 per cent were linked to injecting drug use.
The UN agency welcomed Fiji’s plan to introduce legislation supporting a needle and syringe programme, which is intended to reduce the risk of HIV transmission among people who inject drugs. UNAIDS regional director Eamonn Murphy said Fiji still had an opportunity to change the direction of the epidemic through stronger cooperation and sustained international support.
The rise in infections began around 2019, when a group of high-risk injecting drug users emerged, particularly within the sex worker community, according to UNAIDS country director Renata Ram.
Fiji and other Pacific island nations have also served as transit routes for drugs moving from Latin America and Asia towards lucrative markets in Australia and New Zealand. Following a decline during the Covid-19 pandemic, the flow of drugs such as methamphetamine and cocaine increased, according to the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime.
Some of these substances are increasingly entering local markets, with criminal networks reportedly paying local facilitators in drugs instead of cash. The developments have added pressure on Fiji’s healthcare system and increased the urgency of prevention, testing and treatment programmes.