Fiji is facing one of the world's fastest-growing HIV epidemics, with babies and children increasingly infected through preventable mother-to-child transmission and health experts warning of grave consequences for an entire generation.
Surge of New Infections
Health authorities say new HIV diagnoses in Fiji exploded from 415 in 2023 to 1,583 in 2024, the highest annual figure ever recorded in the country and a jump of 281 percent. In the first six months of 2025 alone, 1,226 additional cases were reported, putting the nation under 1 million people on track for another record year.
UNAIDS estimates that the total number of people living with HIV in Fiji has risen from about 2,000 in 2020 to around 6,100 in 2024, a tenfold increase in new infections over the past decade, according to English News.
Babies and Children Are Increasingly Affected
The most alarming trend is among babies and young children, who are being infected largely during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding.
In 2024, Fiji recorded 41 HIV cases in children, nearly four times the 11 cases reported the previous year. Thirty-two of those 2024 child infections were linked directly to mother-to-child transmission, despite the fact that such infections are considered almost entirely preventable with proper testing and treatment.
Doctors report that about one baby is now diagnosed with HIV every week, and intensive care units are seeing more infants needing life support as a result of HIV-related illness. Clinicians also say at least one child under five is dying from HIV every month, a pattern they describe as both tragic and avoidable.
Why Infections Are Rising so Fast
Experts link the rapid spread of HIV in Fiji to a mix of social and health system problems. The country has become a hub for drug trafficking, and the local use of methamphetamine and other injectable drugs has increased, leading to unsafe injecting practices and a lack of access to clean needles.
At the same time, low health literacy, stigma around HIV, and limited testing and treatment options mean many people do not know their status or seek help late. In 2024, only about 36 percent of people living with HIV in Fiji were aware of their infection, and just 24 percent were receiving treatment, far below global targets, The Guardian reported.
Efforts to Protect the Next Generation
The Fijian government and international agencies are trying to respond before the epidemic further harms children and young people.
Health officials are working on a national "triple elimination" plan to stop mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B, aligning with a new regional roadmap launched by WHO, UNICEF, and UNAIDS.
The plan seeks to expand prevention and testing services beyond major hospitals, integrate them into routine maternal and child health care, and reduce stigma so that pregnant women and families feel safe coming forward.
But with infections climbing and more babies being diagnosed each week, doctors warn that without faster action, Fiji's HIV crisis could shape the health and future of an entire generation, as per FBC News.
