Suva, June 30 || Serious concerns continue to mount over the impact of HIV in Fiji, as eight children were among the 126 people who died from HIV-related illnesses last year.
The grim figures were shared by UNAIDS Pacific Adviser Renata Ram during the Fiji Medical Association's 2025 North Mini-Conference held in Labasa over the weekend, according to news agency.
Her message underscored the urgent need for stronger, more accountable, and innovative health systems.
Ram described Fiji's HIV situation as worsening, making this year's conference theme -- Future-Proofing Healthcare Standards in Fiji: Accountability, Ethics and Innovation -- especially timely.
She revealed that Fiji recorded its highest-ever number of HIV cases in 2024, with 1,583 new diagnoses. This marks a staggering 281 per cent increase from 2023, which saw 415 cases, and more than a 500 per cent rise compared to 2018, when just 131 cases were reported.
Of the 2024 cases, 1,542 were adults. But of even greater concern were the 41 cases among children -- 32 of them due to mother-to-child transmission. This is nearly four times the number of child infections in 2023 when just 11 were recorded.
"These numbers are not just a result of better testing," Ram stressed. "They reflect a true surge in infections."