The government of Fiji, a Pacific island nation, has declared a national state of emergency due to a rapid rise in HIV infections.
In the country, which has a population of less than 500,000, 2,016 new HIV cases were reported in 2025 alone. Health authorities reveal that currently, one in every 60 adults in the country is living with the virus.
A major factor exacerbating this epidemic is the risky and unsafe practice known as “Bluetoothing”—where blood from an individual who is already intoxicated is injected into another person’s body during drug use. However, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) points out that while only about 39% of infected individuals are aware of their status, merely 22% have sought treatment. Health authorities in the country state that it will take more than five years to fully bring this epidemic under control.