Intravenous drug use and high risk sex driving HIV cases in Fiji

Targeted awareness is crucial in Fiji’s fight against HIV as rising high-risk sexual practices, intravenous drug use, and parent-to-child transmissions drive new infections.

Chairman of the Fiji National HIV Outbreak Cluster Response Taskforce, Doctor Jason Mitchell highlighted this during fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan, where he also stated that they are looking at messages that target groups that have known specific risk factors and providing them with the right messaging so that they understand whatever risk practices that they are undertaking.

Doctor Mitchell says because of the various risk factors in our population, there is significant increases in heptitis C in the country and blood sharing that is common amongst people who inject drugs.

He says people who are engaged in high risk sexual practices are also engaged in high risk intravenous drug use and the two happening together results in increasing risks of HIV.

Doctor Mitchell adds that there is no cure for HIV, but there is treatment available, it is a manageable disease, like diabetes and hypertension with lifelong treatment.