OVER 20 babies were diagnosed with HIV in the first six months of this year, according to Assistant Health Minister Penioni Ravunawa.
Mr Ravunawa said they were infected through vertical or mother-to-child infection.
“These are our youngest victims,” he said.
In response to queries from this newspaper, he said the oldest person diagnosed within the same period was a 68-year-old.
“From January to June, Fiji recorded an overall notification rate of 13.85 per 100,000 people.”
The most striking disparities appear among ethnic groups.
He said iTaukei communities recorded disproportionately higher notification rates across almost all age brackets, except those aged 60 and over.
“Among young people, the gap was extreme. iTaukei aged 15 to 19 recorded notification rates 22 times higher, and those aged 20 to 24 recorded rates 25 times higher, than other ethnic groups.”
He said no division was safe from the virus.
“HIV is now a national crisis that demands a national response.”
He said Fiji could not continue to face HIV with “fear and silence”.
“We will only win with truth, testing, treatment and national unity.”
He said there was a need for collective responsibility as health authorities intensify screening, awareness and early-diagnosis campaigns nationwide.
We are not testing enough, Ravunawa warns
FIJI is not testing enough for HIV, says Assistant Health Minister Penioni Ravunawa.
“HIV is rising because we are not testing enough,” he said.
Mr Ravunawa said the right people were also not tested.
“Fiji must change this today.”
He said no division was immune or insulated from the disease.
“HIV is now a national crisis that demands a national response.”
And he said stigma and delayed treatment were worsening the situation.
“Stigma is killing our people before HIV does.”
Young people, he said, were the hardest hit.
“Our 15–34 year-olds account for 80 per cent of new HIV infections.”
He said the country could no longer fight the disease in fear and silence.
“HIV is real, it is rising, and it is preventable but only if we face it together,” he said while urging all Fijians to get tested, know their status, and support those living with HIV.
Silence, shame jeopardise fight against HIV
TWENTY-SEVEN people lost their lives to HIV in the first six months of this year alone, according to the Assistant Health Minister Penioni Ravunawa.
He said the Central Division recorded the highest number of deaths with 18, followed by the Western Division with eight, and one death in the North.
The deaths, Mr Ravunawa warned, was only part of a much darker picture.
He said 45 people living with HIV are not on antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment that could keep them alive.
“For the Northern division, a total of 21 people were on antiretroviral therapy and 88 in the West,” he said.
Disturbingly, the numbers he provided indicate even wider gaps, he said,
458 people in the Central Division are not enrolled in HIV care, 65 in the West, 20 in the North, and nine in the East.
“This means half of the people diagnosed this year are not in care.”
He said this was costing lives.
“Stigma is killing our people before HIV does. We will only win with truth, testing, treatment and national unity.”
Health officials have long warned that silence, shame and misinformation continue to undermine efforts to bring the epidemic under control.
But the latest figures, he said, show that Fiji is running out of time.
“We cannot allow stigma to be the reason a Fijian dies.”
He said urgent action was needed at every level, from community leaders to health workers, from families to policymakers, to get people tested, treated and supported without judgment.
4720 new cases in last 10 years
FIJIANS should be alarmed by the sharp surge in HIV cases, says Assistant Health Minister Penioni Ravunawa.
He said more than 4720 new cases of HIV were recorded in the last 10 years, and records show a significant jump in new HIV cases over the past two years.
“There were 415 new cases of HIV recorded in 2023, and 1583 cases last year,” he said.
In response to queries from this newspaper, he said new HIV cases fluctuated between 2015 and 2019.
“In 2015, there were 97 cases; 84 cases were recorded in 2016; 82 in 2017; 131 in 2018; and 120 in 2019.”
He said individuals aged 15 to 34 years accounted for 80 per cent of new infections.
“The median age at diagnosis is 25. However, the largest group is those aged 20 to 24 years, with 32.2 per cent of notifications, followed by those aged 25 to 29 at 19.6 per cent.”
He said the majority of the cases were male.
“There were 812 males, 409 females, and five transgender individuals who tested positive for HIV from January to June.”
He said the ministry needed everyone’s assistance in the fight against HIV.
More cases recorded in first six months
FIJI recorded more HIV cases in the first six months of this year than what some countries record in several years, says Assistant Health Minister Penioni Ravunawa.
He said the country recorded 1226 cases from January to June alone.
“The total laboratory screening conducted during this period was 29,735, with more testing carried out in the Central Division, where 19,122 tests were done, followed by the West with 4837,” he said.
In response to queries from this newspaper, Mr Ravunawa said the Central Division also recorded the highest number of positive results at 911.
“Apart from this, there were 13 cases recorded in the Eastern Division and 252 in the West.”
For the Northern Division, 50 new HIV cases were recorded.
“The notification rate per 1000 screening tests was 47.6 per cent for the Central Division, 20.0 per cent for the Eastern, 10.5 per cent for the North, and 52.1 per cent for the West.”
He said the cases have doubled, as 552 cases were recorded during the same period last year.
