'Spreading like wildfire': Fiji grapples with soaring HIV cases
Yahoo • • health
Key Points:
- Fiji is facing one of the world's fastest-growing HIV epidemics, with over 2,000 new cases recorded last year, marking a 26% increase from 2024, prompting the government to declare a national crisis.
- The rise in HIV cases is linked to increased drug use, particularly methamphetamine and cocaine, facilitated by Fiji's role as a transit hub for drugs destined for Australia and New Zealand.
- Community clinics like the Moonlight Clinic in Suva provide accessible testing and support, aiming to reduce stigma and reach high-risk groups including sex workers and injecting drug users.
- Social stigma and conservative cultural values in Fiji contribute to fear and reluctance among people to get tested or disclose their HIV status, complicating efforts to control the epidemic.
- Experts and advocates emphasize the urgent need for harm reduction measures such as needle-syringe programs, which have been delayed despite government plans to implement them.
