FIJI’S rapidly growing HIV crisis is being targeted with more than AU$15 million in new funding from Australia to bolster health services, medical supplies, and drug imports.
“Regrettably, as you know, Fiji is experiencing the fastest-growing HIV outbreaks in the world, and we, Australia, are standing with you in responding to this crisis,” Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said during her announcement in Suva.
Fiji’s HIV outbreak has escalated rapidly in recent years:
- About 1 in every 60 Fijian adults currently lives with HIV.
- Infections rose by over 25 percent in March compared to the previous year.
- More than 2,000 cases were diagnosed in 2025, with two-thirds of infections occurring in people aged 20 to 34.
- Modelled estimates suggest roughly 6,100 total people are living with HIV in Fiji, meaning over 40 percent do not know they are infected.
Fiji’s Health Minister, Dr. Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu, declared a national outbreak in January 2025 after official cases surged from 131 in 2018 to 1,583 in 2024.
Health reports identify several primary drivers behind the rapid spread:
- Unsafe sexual practices.
- A lack of sterile injection equipment at local pharmacies, forcing drug users to share equipment.
- High-risk drug-sharing methods, including “bluetoothing”; drawing blood containing injected drugs from one person and inserting it into another; and koda, where blood is mixed directly with drug crystals in a syringe.
To address the equipment shortage, Minister Lalabalavu stated during the June 2026 budget that preparations to launch a free Needle and Syringe Program are “nearing completion.”
Australian officials emphasized that the package targets both medical needs and broader regional security concerns.
“This is a health challenge, but it is also a security challenge. Alongside our health partnership, we’re also working together to combat transnational crime, illicit drug trafficking, which is contributing to this challenge,” Senator Penny Wong said.
The support builds on the $1 billion Vuvale Union alliance signed between Australia and Fiji in July, which covers health funding, bilateral security, and youth skills training. It also comes as Australia works to strengthen regional partnerships while Fiji continues a security training agreement with China.
