Is Fiji home to the fastest-growing HIV epidemic in the world? Cases among young people are surging.
This is a tropical island paradise in the Pacific, but Fiji has just declared a national HIV emergency. One in every 60 adults now has the virus – and experts warn that fewer than half actually know they do.
Dangerous drug-injecting habits, like shared needles, along with stigma, are helping HIV spread.
After Fiji’s national emergency declaration, it has now passed an act in its Parliament to give the Government more powers to tackle the crisis, with measures including expanded testing and faster access to treatment.
Two thirds of all new cases last year were people aged under 34, according to the latest statistics. Medics say they are also seeing teenagers and younger children infected by injecting drugs.
And there are warnings about a hugely concerning trend of drug use called ‘bluetoothing’, or ‘hotspotting’ – a dangerous alleged practice where users inject the blood of people who are already intoxicated to get their high.
Experts say this practice could be behind the surge in cases, that Fiji has the tools to control the spread, but that its challenge is now to convince young people to use these services.
In this episode of the breakdown, we unpack why the virus has spread so quickly, why young people are at the very heart of the crisis, and whether the country can actually bring this epidemic under control.
We also speak to Eugene Lynch, Director of Delivery at the Terrence Higgins Trust, the UK’s leading HIV charity.
Presenter: Ayshah Tull
Producer: Tyler Anderson
Series Producer: Joseph Keith