The Australian Government recently announced a $48million contribution to support Pacific HIV responses, a demonstration of its commitment to health security and solidarity.
The Pacific initiative was announced by Foreign Minister Penny Wong at the World AIDS Day Breakfast in Canberra last Thursday.
In a statement, Pacific Friends of Global Health said it will support Fiji, which is currently experiencing the world’s fastest-growing HIV epidemic, with more than 3000 new infections expected this year alone.
“This is a timely intervention from the Australian Government,” said Professor Brendan Crabb, chairperson of Pacific Friends of Global Health, and CEO of the Burnet Institute.
“Without comprehensive harm reduction programs, this outbreak will overwhelm health systems across the Pacific.
“Stigma and underreporting mean the actual scale of this outbreak may be even worse than official figures suggest.
“This is a robust response to an outbreak that threatens not just Fiji but the entire Pacific region.”
