Medical associations in Fiji are urging the government to declare a HIV outbreak as a priority issue as new figures show the level of cases in the country continue to grow.
Dr Alipate Vakamocea, head of the Fiji Medical Association (FMA), said his organisation was ” deeply concerned about the alarming rise in HIV cases” in Fiji.
HIV infections in Fiji rose 241 per cent between 2010 and 2023. The country’s Health and Medical Services Ministry (MHMS) reported over 550 new cases of HIV from for the first six months of the year – a 33 per cent increase compared to 2023.
The level of new cases in Fiji has been gradually rising for several years. They officially recorded 121 new HIV cases in 2021, which rapidly escalated to 245 in 2022 and 415 in 2023.
Dr Vakamocea said the government needed to urgently address gaps in testing, treatment and prevention. The new cases are attributed to both sexually based transmission and rising drug use in the country, but medical professionals have also highlighted a lack of education campaigns as a factor.
