HIV advocate Temo Sasau believes there’s a crisis in the making, as the country faces a critical shortage of HIV monitoring tools, including just one operational CD4 machine nationwide.
“They may be giving people treatment, but without proper testing, we don’t know if it’s effective or if there’s drug resistance,” he said.
Mr Sasau said the lack of viral load and early infant diagnosis test kits means many people living with HIV were left in the dark about their treatment progress, a situation he described as dangerous and disheartening.
“We’re encouraging people to get tested but how can we promote testing when there is a shortage of viral load and infant diagnosis test kits.”
He warned that the current shortage could undermine national efforts to combat the virus, especially as Fiji faces a rising number of new HIV infections.
“There’s a surge, possibly even an outbreak. Expect things to get worse if we don’t act now.”
He said the Government needed to back its public health commitments with real investment.
“Why do we keep talking about Fiji having one of the fastest-growing HIV rates, if we’re not funding the tools to fight it. The Government needs to put the money where its mouth is.”
He said the shortage of viral load and infant diagnosis test kits comes at a critical time, as advocates push for early detection and consistent monitoring as key strategies in fighting the virus.
Without proper testing, he fears the country may lose hard-won progress in HIV awareness and treatment.
