At least 9,000 Fijians are living with HIV in 2026, the chair of the country’s National HIV Outbreak and Cluster Response warned at a Rotary Club Black Tie fundraiser in Suva on Friday, revealing a sharp and recent rise in infections that health officials say requires an urgent response.
Dr Jason Mitchell told attendees Fiji recorded 2,016 new HIV cases in 2025 alone, up from 1,583 in 2024 and just 245 in 2022. “In 2025 alone, last year, we recorded 2,016 new cases. That is a 723 per cent increase in three years,” he said, stressing the speed and scale of the increase. Health authorities now estimate more than 8,900 people in Fiji are living with HIV, with at least 9,000 cited as the working figure for 2026. Dr Mitchell also said more than half of those estimated to be living with HIV are aware of their status but are not on treatment.
The epidemic is affecting communities across Fiji’s Central, Western, Northern and Eastern divisions, Dr Mitchell warned. He highlighted alarming indicators among pregnant women: 3.1 per cent of pregnant women attending antenatal care nationwide tested positive for HIV last year, rising to 3.7 per cent at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva. Those figures indicate ongoing mother-to-child transmission, he said, noting that one baby is being diagnosed with HIV each week in Fiji, with some infants requiring ventilator support. “One child also dies each month from advanced HIV disease,” Dr Mitchell added.
The numbers mark a stark change from previous years and represent a renewed public health challenge for Fiji’s clinics and hospitals. Dr Mitchell said the virus is now present “in families, workplaces and communities throughout Fiji,” underlining the need for both broad prevention efforts and immediate clinical support for those newly diagnosed. He noted that while the Government and UNAIDS are pursuing a phased national response, local interventions can deliver rapid, tangible impact.
As an immediate measure, the Rotary Club of Suva has selected the Nakasi Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Clinic as the beneficiary of the night’s fundraising. Funds will be used to equip nurses with rapid HIV test kits capable of delivering results within about 20 minutes, to furnish private counselling rooms where young women and others can discuss risks and fears safely, and to resource outreach teams to bring testing and support into communities that may not otherwise access clinic services.
Dr Mitchell urged guests that philanthropy could close critical gaps in testing, counselling and outreach while broader policy responses scale up. The Rotary Club fundraiser is among several community-level efforts being promoted to boost early diagnosis, link people to treatment and reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission as Fiji confronts this accelerating outbreak.
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