By Lex Harvey, CNN (CNN) — The small Pacific nation of Fiji has declared a national HIV emergency as it grapples with surging case numbers, partly driven by a growing methamphetamine problem.One in every 60 adults in the archipelago of less than a million people are now estimated to have Human Immun…
Government estimates that one in 60 adults in Fiji now living with HIV, as escalating use of methamphetamine fuels ‘epidemic’ Fiji has declared a national HIV emergency amid a spike in infections as the Pacific nation grapples with a correlating rise in methamphetamine use.
Fiji has declared a national HIV crisis as sexual transmission and illicit drug use help to spread the virus, now infecting an estimated one in 60 adults in the Pacific nation.
Fiji's government estimates that HIV prevalence has almost tripled in the last five years. It's expanding testing, prevention and treatment services. In 2025 the tiny island recorded 16 times more new cases than in 2019.
WELLINGTON >> Fiji has declared HIV a national crisis after new diagnoses climbed 27% last year, intensifying concern that an epidemic once concentrated among people who inject drugs is spreading more widely through the Pacific island nation.
Fiji has declared a national crisis over a recent rise in HIV cases, adopting plans to allocate more health resources toward stopping the disease’s transmission. Antonio Lalabalavu, Fiji’s minister for health and medical services, declared HIV a national emergency on Tuesday .
The government said in a statement posted on Facebook that 2,016 people were diagnosed with HIV in 2025 and estimated that one in 60 adults was living with the disease.
