Open discussions about HIV prevention in cultural and traditional settings are crucial for rural and faith-based communities.

UNICEF Pacific Health & Nutrition Specialist Dr Frances Katonivualiku believes this can be a key solution to addressing rising HIV cases.

Katonivualiku said the organization is prioritizing “talanoa” sessions to create more awareness.

She said although the topic is often considered taboo, the current HIV outbreak highlights the need for such conversations.

“While UNICEF also supports these cultural sensitivities and they respect that within the communities and families, with the declaration of the HIV outbreak, it’s time that we hold these honest discussions with the families, with the communities, and with the schools. We need to create the awareness, and we need to do it in a way that’s culturally sensitive but also makes sure that the message reaches the children and the communities.”

Dr Katonivualiku added that Fiji could halt the increase if everyone played a part in their respective spaces.

“Fiji, in collaboration with its partners, we can put a stop to these increasing cases. We can prevent, and one of the low-hanging fruits that we see is the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. And Fiji can, together with its partners, hold hands, and we can halt the increasing numbers of HIV.”

During the launch of the Fiji National HIV Surge Strategy 2024-2027, Health Minister Dr Atonio Lalabalavu revealed that from January to September 2024, Fiji recorded 1,093 new HIV cases and as a result, Fiji met the definition for an outbreak of HIV.

Among the HIV-reported cases, 784 are males; 90.6% are of iTaukei descent, followed by Fijians of Indian descent at 8.2%, while other ethnicities are at 1.2%.