YOUNG adults and children represent a alarming proportion of Fiji’s growing HIV epidemic, threatening the nation’s socio-economic future and social stability
Addressing delegates at the 2026 Pacific HIV Symposium in Nadi yesterday, President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu revealed that individuals aged between 20 and 24 accounted for 646 new diagnoses in 2025 representing nearly one in every three cases recorded nationwide.
“And for the 646, most of them are young figures, entering adulthood, starting careers, forming relationships and families and carrying our country’s future,” he said.
“When an epidemic becomes so concentrated amongst young people, the consequences are not limited to the health sector.”
Ratu Naiqama said surveillance figures also highlighted a severe impact on pediatric health. In 2025, 67 children under the age of 15 were diagnosed with HIV, including 56 cases attributed directly to mother-to-child transmission.
He added that 17 HIV-related deaths were reported among children aged 0 to 14.
“Every preventable infection in a child must challenge us to examine the full chain of antenatal testing.”
