Former President and long time advocate in the fight against HIV and AIDS, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau today opened World AIDS days with a message to continue the advocacy.
Speaking at a prayer breakfast, Ratu Epeli says over the years he and others have been criticized for their decision to fight the HIV and AIDs epidemic with its low prevalence record in Fiji compared to other diseases.
“I always tell them, now look the countries that have the worst records of HIV and AIDS now were once like us with low prevalence, there were at our stage, they ignored the advice of experts, the advice of the medial people and they had to pay the price.”
Health Minister Jone Usumate strengthened the call for zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDs related deaths, a global campaign from 2015 to 2030.
The NGO Fiji network for people living with HIV and AIDS, commonly known as FJN plus launched their stigma index research which will measure the impact of HIV related stigma and discrimination.
The research will be conducted from the 1st of December until the end of March 2016.
To date, Fiji has recorded 647 HIV positive cases.
