Shania Shayal Prasad 
Nearly half of all HIV cases in Fiji are linked to inconsistent condom use and multiple sexual partners.
This was highlighted by Assistant Minister for Health Penioni Ravunawa while speaking at the opening of the Social Challenges Awareness Programme at Sukuna Park, Suva yesterday.
He warns that the epidemic is spreading across multiple fronts and that every Fijian is at risk if action is not taken.
Ravunawa says the 2025 Global AIDS Update shows that the number of people living with HIV in Fiji has surged from fewer than 500 a decade ago to an estimated 7,000 by December 2024, with 1,583 new cases diagnosed in 2024 alone.
He says injectable drug use, unsafe sexual practices, and needle and blood sharing are major drivers of new infections.
Ravunawa states that scarcity of clean needles has made sharing a common but dangerous practice, while risky sexual behaviour continues to put lives at risk.
โThis is not about encouraging drug use or sexual practice, it is about saving lives and stopping HIV transmission for our young and the future of Fiji.โ
He adds prevention initiatives include the Needle and Syringe Programme and an ongoing condom campaign, aimed at reducing new infections and saving lives.
Ravunawa stresses that stopping HIV requires more than medicine. Leadership, compassion, and collective action are key.
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