Cause for concern

THE confirmation by Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr James Fong, that Fiji had 141 new HIV cases for the first six months of this year, is a major concern.

He made this comment during World AIDS Day and the launching of the antiretroviral therapy (ART) and HIV guideline celebration in Suva yesterday.

UNAIDS reports that since the first cases of HIV were reported more than 35 years ago, 78 million people have become infected with HIV and 35 million have died from AIDS-related illnesses.

It says 38.4 million people globally were living with HIV in 2021, and 1.5 million people became newly infected with HIV in 2021. It said 650,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2021.

It said at the end of December, 2021, 28.7 million people were accessing antiretroviral therapy, up from 7.8 million in 2010.

Back on the homefront, Dr Fong said: “I know that 141 was the number that usually happens over the whole 12 months!”

“It is alarming though that in the last decade we have not really been able to get a handle on the HIV pandemic. Likewise during COVID-19 it only got worse and I am hoping that this current global issue, where Fiji has been highlighted within this global problem, will be resolved through a number of post COVID lessons that we have learnt.”

Dr Fong urged health workers to turn action plans into solid evidence of effort.

“I want to see the evidence of effort because at least when you are making an effort I can track the effort to see whether there will be an outcome.” He urged those present to be bold and accountable in terms of leadership.

In saying that, we are reminded about our role in the fight against HIV.

There would be questions asked of our outreach programs, and understandably the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and throughout 2021.

We can only hope those tasked with creating awareness are not being complacent. Then there would be hope that those being targeted are getting the message and aren’t complacent themselves.

The COVID-19 pandemic, especially the second wave which hit us in April last year changed a lot of things for us, and introduced the new normal.

Because we were focused on the pandemic, we can only hope other health issues from NCDs to HIV were not overlooked.

We have a reality check! We are being reminded that HIV is a concern. The numbers are a worry! We have a major concern, and a challenge, in our midst!

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