Fiji has declared a national crisis as it suffers one of the world’s fastest-growing HIV epidemics, with thousands of people now living with the incurable virus.
Kiwis planning to travel to the island nation are being urged to get comprehensive travel insurance.
The New Zealand Government’s SafeTravel website says: “There is an increased risk of HIV transmission in Fiji, and the Fiji Government has declared an HIV outbreak. Avoid activities that may increase your risk of infection”.
The warning will be important to families planning trips to Fiji for the school holidays later this month.
“We are aware of the HIV outbreak in Fiji and our travel advice provided on SafeTravel remains current,” a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokeswoman told the Herald.
“With school holidays approaching, we strongly encourage all New Zealanders planning to head overseas to get comprehensive travel insurance [and] discuss their individual circumstances with their GP before heading overseas.”
SafeTravel said healthcare in Fiji’s urban centres has limitations: in rural locations and outer islands the limitations were extreme.
Children among infected
Fiji's HIV outbreak is regarded as one of the worst in the world. Photo / 123rf
The Fijian Government officially announced an HIV outbreak in January last year, then declared the epidemic a national crisis on Thursday as infections continued to surge.
The number of people with HIV in Fiji has risen rapidly since 2021, when 1662 cumulative cases were recorded. Last year, that figure reached 6000 and continues to rise.
There are about 937,000 people in Fiji.
The prevalence among pregnant women now exceeds 2%, with one child born in Fiji with HIV every week and one lost to the disease every month.
Fiji’s Minister for Information Lynda Tabuya told local media last week the crisis now required an “urgent whole-of-Government and whole-of-society response”.
Risk of spread to other Pacific countries
Pasifika health expert Sir Collin Tukuitonga.
Pacific health expert Sir Collin Tukuitonga said there was a risk that Fiji’s HIV problem could turn into a region-wide problem.
Tukuitonga, director of Te Poutoko Ora a Kiwi, Centre for Pacific and Global Health, said the risk was particularly with young Fijians seeking work in other Pacific countries.
“It’s one of the worst outbreaks in the world now.
“It’s not spread in the way HIV traditionally is spread – sexual transmission and mother to child,” he said.
“The latest outbreak in Fiji is actually the result of drug use; it’s occurred mainly in young Fijian men who inject drugs. A lot of it relates to poverty and lack of jobs.”
Tukuitonga acknowledged organised crime and increased drug trafficking affecting Pacific countries including Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.
“That’s been one of the drivers in this outbreak. It could spread beyond.”
He said testing on the ground needed to be ramped up, as well as awareness and education around the real dangers of IV drug-use and how HIV transmission could happen.
He also acknowledged the cultural taboos around HIV and being gay – and the difficult conversations not being had as a result.
“A lot of people still think of HIV or AIDS as a gay man’s problem and the stigma associated with that. But the most recent outbreak in Fiji is not so much a gay man’s problem, it’s a drug user’s problem.
“And they’re still not on top of it – that’s the problem.”
There are calls for New Zealand to step up its response to the worsening HIV crisis, particularly given the potential implications for New Zealand.
Victoria University senior research fellow Dr Sharon McLennan said travel, migration, labour and family links with Fiji mean the epidemic threatens New Zealand and other Pacific countries.
She said Aotearoa’s response needed to include prevention and support services.
“I don’t think we’re going to see a spike across the general population anywhere like what Fiji is seeing, but I think we’ll start seeing more cases in our Pacific population.
“Any support can be helpful. Also just paying attention – listening and asking what is needed, how we can help... and being a supportive member of the Pacific family.”
New Zealand has low rates of HIV.
The latest figures, released in May this year by the University of Otago HIV Epidemiology Group, show 80 people were diagnosed with it in 2025.
Vaimoana Mase is the Pasifika editor for the Herald’s Talanoa section , sharing stories from the Pacific community. She won junior reporter of the year at the then Qantas Media Awards in 2010 and won the best opinion writing award at the 2023 Voyager Media Awards.
