Fiji declares national HIV emergency after infections surge sharply

Fiji's Health Minister declared a national HIV emergency on Tuesday, September 16, 2026, after a sharp rise in new infections. The country recorded 2,060 new HIV cases in 2025. Around one in 60 adults in Fiji now has the virus, compared to one in 167 five years ago. New infections have risen twelve times over since 2010. Only 22% of people with HIV are currently receiving treatment. Officials have linked the surge to growing methamphetamine use and unsafe needle sharing. Fiji has become an important route for drug trafficking between the Americas, Australia, and Asia. Low condom use and social stigma have also helped the virus spread. Globally, new HIV infections have been falling, making Fiji's situation unusual.