Fiji declares national HIV emergency and extends testing program as cases surge

Fiji has declared an HIV national emergency after data showed one in 60 people in the South Pacific island nation is now estimated to have the bloodborne virus.

The country says it is boosting 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).

Latest figures showed there was about 9,000 people living with HIV in 2025 in a country which has less than a million people, according to the UN agency. It said only 39 per cent of patients knew their HIV status and just 22 per cent were receiving antiretroviral treatment.

Fiji said that one in every 60 adults in the country has HIV, compared with one in 167 five years ago.