A 13-year-old student is the youngest patient to have tested positive for HIV.
This was revealed by Ema Rakaususu, a representative from the Ministry of Health’s Department for Sexual Reproductive Health Clinic, during the VITIFM Virikawakawa Show, where she stated that five to seven years ago, HIV/AIDS was primarily found among older individuals, however, from 2021 to the present most cases have been among youths.
Rakaususu says in 2022 it was reported that there were 245 cases.
In 2023, a total of 415 cases were reported and from January to September last year, 1,093 cases were recorded. She also highlighted that most of the 1,093 cases fall within the 20 to 29-year-old age group. She adds that 553 cases involved individuals who were born with HIV.
She also confirmed that these are new cases identified through testing.
