Fiji declares an HIV emergency and expands testing as cases surge

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Fiji has declared an HIV national emergency after data showed one in 60 people in the South Pacific island nation was estimated to be infected. The government says it is increasing testing and treatment efforts to fight a surge in new infections, which have increased 12-fold over the last 15 years, according to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV and AIDS ( UNAIDS). However, agencies now had to work together on the crisis, officials said this week. The latest figures showed about 9,000 people were living with HIV in 2025 in a country that has fewer than a million people, according to the U.N. agency. It said only 39% of patients knew their HIV status and just 22% were receiving antiretroviral treatment. Fiji officials said one in every 60 adults in the country has HIV, compared with one in 167 five years ago.