Tejal Somvanshi
Fiji has declared HIV a national crisis after one of the sharpest increases in new HIV infections globally, according to UNAIDS. UNAIDS — the United Nations agency coordinating the global HIV response — says new infections in Fiji increased 12-fold between 2010 and 2025.
The declaration came on September 16, 2026. What it reveals about testing and treatment gaps is as concerning as the infection numbers themselves.
UNAIDS estimates approximately 9,100 people were living with HIV in Fiji in 2025. Of those, only 39% knew their HIV status. The majority of people living with the virus had not been tested and did not know they had it. Just 22% of people estimated to be living with HIV were accessing antiretroviral treatment.
Antiretroviral treatment — ART — is the medication that allows people with HIV to live full lives. Effective antiretroviral treatment can suppress HIV to an undetectable level, at which point a person living with HIV does not transmit the virus sexually. A treatment rate of 22% is far below global targets. Fiji remains far below the 95-95-95 testing and treatment benchmarks on the measures cited by UNAIDS. The UNAIDS global target is 95% of people living with HIV knowing their status, 95% of those on treatment, and 95% of those achieving suppressed viral levels.
UNAIDS reported sexual transmission and injecting drug use as major reported routes — among cases with a known mode of transmission, more than half were linked to sexual transmission and more than 42% to injecting drug use.
Why the declaration matters — and what it is intended to do
The rise in new infections has occurred alongside major gaps in testing access, prevention services, and treatment availability. People who do not know they have HIV cannot access treatment; people not on treatment carry higher viral loads that increase transmission risk; and transmission without treatment access creates conditions where the infection rate climbs further.
Fiji said the declaration was intended to accelerate testing, treatment and prevention efforts and to support requests for international assistance. UNAIDS said it would continue working with Fiji and countries across the Pacific to support the response.
HIV is not transmitted through everyday contact. It is transmitted through specific routes including blood, sexual fluids, and from a parent to a child during birth or breastfeeding. UNAIDS is explicit on this point. Stigma around people living with HIV, or around people who inject drugs, reduces the likelihood that people will seek testing or treatment — which directly worsens the public health outcome. Reporting and community response need to reflect that.
UNAIDS notes Pacific countries are at different stages of their HIV epidemics, but the region is closely connected. Fiji’s declaration reflects a broader concern about rising infection rates in some parts of the Pacific. For context, see Global HIV response and UNAIDS reporting and Pacific health news and public health coverage.
Why has Fiji declared HIV a national crisis?
UNAIDS says Fiji experienced one of the sharpest increases in new HIV infections globally — a 12-fold rise between 2010 and 2025. An estimated 9,100 people were living with HIV in Fiji in 2025, but only 39% knew their status and just 22% were on antiretroviral treatment. The combination of rapid infection growth, very low diagnosis rates, and very low treatment access led to the September 16 national crisis declaration. UNAIDS said it would continue working with Fiji and countries across the Pacific to support the response.
