Fiji Declares National HIV Emergency

Overview

• The health minister formally announced a national emergency to steer a larger, faster public‑health response after officials reviewed recent surveillance data.
• Government figures show new HIV diagnoses rose to 2,106 in 2025, about 16 times the number reported in 2019.
• The government estimates adult HIV prevalence has climbed from roughly one in 167 to one in 60 people.
• Authorities say most transmission is driven by sexual contact and the use of illicit drugs, and the surge has hit pregnant women and infants particularly hard.
• In 2025 two percent of pregnant women were living with HIV, 59 infants were born with the virus, and 18 of those infants died before their first birthday, prompting the expansion of free testing and strengthened prevention and treatment services.