Vulavou: Fiji is in the grips of a HIV crisis

WITH 804 people living with HIV and 141 new cases in the first six months of 2022, Fiji is in the grips of a HIV crisis, says Pacific Sexual and Gender Diversity Network CEO Isikeli Vulavou.

He said Fiji was one of the top three countries in the Asia-Pacific region for rising HIV infections and this was the direct result of “lackadaisical attitude, poor response, and weak commitment from the government, international donors, and others”.

He said since international donor funds (the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and PRISP2 in 2008 and 2014 respectively) ended in Fiji, the Fijian Government’s allocation for eradicating HIV and AIDS “has gradually dwindled from $F500,000 per year and depleted over the years to only about $F200,000 now.”

Vulavou said the national total of people living with HIV in Fiji in 2021 has risen to 804 people, and the Health Ministry’s latest statistics will show a doubling of the annual new HIV infection rates.

“On this path, Fiji will definitely fail to meet any of the targets for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment set out in the 2016 Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS, with progress on HIV prevention lagging particularly far behind.

“This is our last chance to create sustained momentum for the policies, programs, and funding that are needed to end HIV as a global health threat by 2030.”

Vulavou said Fiji “urgently needs evidencebased responses and renewed political will, especially in face of the additional burdens imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic”.

“The government of Fiji needs to act now. We need the government to scale up domestic funding and reach out to the Global Fund for HIV and other donors for more international funding.”

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