[File Photo]

A worrying development is the sharp rise in HIV among adolescents aged 10 to 19.

This was shared by Medical Officer in Charge at the Sexual and Reproductive Health Clinic for the Central and Eastern Division Dr Darshika Balak during the Fiji Medical Association conference in Suva.

HIV cases in this age group rose sharply from six in 2022 to over 100 in the first nine months of last year, a 45-fold increase.

Dr Darshika Balak speaking at the Fiji Medical Association conference [Source: Fiji Medical Association/ Facebook]

Most male adolescents contracted the virus through injecting drug use, while females were infected through both injecting and sexual transmission, often involving partners who inject drugs.

This, according to Dr Balak has spread HIV into the wider heterosexual population and contributed to a rise in pediatric cases.

“We really need harm reduction and community led prevention in in the country and when I say high impact targeted prevention interventions this is what where it comes into so we really need needle syringe programs in the country we really need drug in the country and we need combination prevention packages for different key population and age groups in the country and this needs to be community led.”

Data from the national HIV clinic shows a steady increase in infections among key populations. Since the first case in 1989, over 3,000 cases have been recorded.

New infections surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, with annual cases now exceeding 100.

Yet, nearly half of those diagnosed are not in care, limiting access to lifesaving antiretroviral treatment.

The outbreak remains concentrated in the Central and Eastern Divisions, though the West and North are also affected.

Around 70 percent of new cases are in males, a trend that has worsened in recent years.

Transmission is nearly evenly split between injecting drug use and sexual contact, both heterosexual and homosexual.

This overlap makes the outbreak harder to contain.

Death rates among people with HIV continue to rise, though detailed data is limited.

An epidemiological study, done with international partners, confirmed multiple outbreaks across injecting drug users, men who have sex with men, sex workers, transgender people, and adolescents.

As a result, health officials now classify the crisis as an outbreak, not a generalised epidemic.

UNAIDS estimates that around 1,600 new HIV cases will be recorded in Fiji by the end of 2024.

With injecting drug users included, total infections could pass 6,000.

Poor data systems, outdated response methods, limited STI testing, and frequent shortages of HIV drugs and test kits remain major barriers.

About half of diagnosed patients are lost to follow-up, many living with untreated HIV and unknowingly spreading the virus.

Dr Balak reiterated the t need for better data collection, targeted prevention for drug users and adolescents, decentralised HIV and STI testing, harm reduction programs like needle exchanges, expanded access to pre-exposure prophylaxis for high-risk groups and pregnant women and stronger national leadership to coordinate the response.

Currently, only 35 percent of people living with HIV in Fiji are on treatment, far below the 95 percent global target needed to suppress the virus and control the outbreak.

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