Fiji declares national emergency as HIV cases surge to 2,016 in 2025

September 17, 2026 at 08:07 AM2 min

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Fiji declared a national emergency on Wednesday as HIV cases surge, with 2,016 new diagnoses in 2025 alone. The government will introduce a syringe and needle programme and expand testing, treatment and prevention services. About one in 60 adults in the Pacific nation now lives with HIV, up from one in 167 five years ago.

Key Facts

Fiji recorded 2,016 new HIV diagnoses in 2025, according to Health Minister Antonio Lalabalavu.
About one in 60 adults in Fiji now lives with HIV, compared with one in 167 five years ago.
Only 39% of the 9,100 Fijians living with HIV in 2025 knew their status, and just 22% were on antiretroviral treatment, UNAIDS reported.
The Fijian government will introduce a syringe and needle programme, with legislative amendments to be presented in parliament.
Jason Mitchell, who leads the national HIV response taskforce, said it will take upwards of five years to get on top of the epidemic.

The Emergency Declaration

Fiji declared a national emergency as HIV cases surged, with Health Minister Antonio Lalabalavu stating that an outbreak-level response is no longer sufficient. The Pacific archipelago of less than one million people saw 2,016 new diagnoses in 2025 alone. About one in 60 adults now lives with the bloodborne virus, up from one in 167 five years ago. A rising number of babies are dying from HIV-related complications, according to the health ministry.

Drivers of the Epidemic

Health experts and NGOs attribute the epidemic to a spiralling trend of drug use, unsafe sex, needle sharing and a practice known as bluetoothing. Bluetoothing, or hotspotting, involves intravenous drug users injecting the blood of already intoxicated individuals, fuelling a global HIV surge especially in parts of Africa and the Pacific. The practice appeals because multiple people can share a single hit for a cheaper high and because syringes are difficult to obtain in Fiji.

Government and International Response

The Fijian government will introduce a syringe and needle programme, with legislative amendments to be presented in parliament. Lalabalavu said the country already has sufficient supplies of syringes and needles and urged people to come forward for testing. UNAIDS welcomed Fiji's emergency declaration, saying it signals the urgency needed to ramp up the response across government and society. Jason Mitchell, who leads the national HIV response taskforce, said it will take upwards of five years to get on top of the epidemic, noting the health system is already struggling.