Fiji declares HIV a national crisis, 1 in 60 adults carry it

Fiji has declared HIV a national health crisis, pledging a "whole-of-government response to address the significant rise in HIV cases and protect communities across the country." The Pacific island's government announced the move earlier this week, saying it had recorded 2,016 new HIV diagnoses in 2025 — 16 times the number recorded in 2019. The figures point to the virus spreading beyond high-risk groups like drug users and sex workers into the wider population. Fiji said the known adult prevalence of the virus had almost tripled in five years in the country of a little more than 900,000 people. "An estimated one in every 60 adults is now living with HIV, compared with one in 167 five years ago," the government said.