We have a major crisis on our hands. This HIV challenge isn’t going away any time soon. In fact, it appears to be getting out of hand. And that is a major concern. We can continue to talk about it, feel scared, feel frustrated, angry, and uncertain. Yet if we do nothing about it now, we may as well just sit back and see the figures rise to dizzying heights.
For now, we are staring at a figure that is shocking! One in every 60 adults aged 15 to 49 is now living with HIV! Imagine that! Call it what you want to, but that is a shocker. It is scary.
Now the National HIV Taskforce has called on the Government to accelerate its response to this worsening HIV epidemic, warning that delays in implementing proven harm reduction measures are costing lives.
Taskforce Technical Working Group co-lead Asaeli Sinusetaki said the HIV outbreak had been made worse by the rapid rise in illicit drug use.
He said the crisis had been fuelled by a massive influx of illicit drugs, which he believes gathered pace under what he described as the previous government’s weak response to the issue. For whatever it is worth, it seems someone or some people obviously did not see and read the signs. Someone or some people tasked to police this, obviously failed to pick up the warning signs and this is where we are at now.
In saying that though, Mr Sinusetaki believes the Government’s response has not matched the urgency of the crisis. He believes there is a need for stronger, evidence-based interventions, including the introduction of a needle and syringe program to reduce the sharing of contaminated needles. Research from around the world, he noted, consistently shows such programs save lives and reduce transmission.
He also warned against allowing concerns over traditional values and moral standards to delay action. HIV, he stressed, does not recognise social boundaries or wait for approval before spreading, and inaction in the name of protecting values will only worsen the crisis.
He makes sense. Mr Sinusetaki’s comments echo concerns raised by Fiji National HIV Outbreak and Cluster Response Taskforce chair Dr Jason Mitchell at the 26th International AIDS Conference in Rio de Janeiro last week.
Dr Mitchell said the outbreak was being driven largely by methamphetamine injection and the absence of a national needle and syringe program. Describing the situation as far more than a routine country update, he said Fiji’s experience should serve as a warning. National surveillance data shows annual HIV diagnoses climbed from 245 in 2012 to 2016 in 2025. Without science-based interventions, he warned, the epidemic could have consequences well beyond Fiji, placing other Pacific island nations at risk.
Now that is a great concern.
So now we look back to the powers that be and reflect on a number of battle fronts. We have got to manage the drug war. We have got to fight drugs on our streets, and we have got to fight what is coming into our country. That calls for unity. It calls for a change in mindset. Then there is the bit about finding answers to the many questions out there, from why people turn to drugs, to its availability.
There are no quick fixes. But there is a clear path that begins with honest conversations, greater public awareness and meaningful engagement across every level of society.
Let’s listen to medical experts, support evidence-based policies, strengthen prevention and education, and ensure those living with HIV are treated with dignity. We are staring at a battle that demands a united front.
Let’s face it, this may be one of the greatest public health challenges of our time!
