The Medical Services Pacific (MSP) has conducted 4,000 point-of-care tests from 2024 to date, with the youngest HIV-positive case recorded being just 13 years old.
Sharing the alarming statistics, MSP Grants Acquisition and Accountability Manager, Taniela Vinaka, says the numbers are deeply concerning, particularly with the sharp rise in cases linked to injectable drug use.
Vinaka says MSP also conducts outreach drives to meet with vulnerable populations.
He says MSP provides three core services — medical, counselling, and legal — which are delivered through its one-stop-shop aesthetic clinic and mobile outreach clinic.
Vinaka adds that of the 4,000 point-of-care tests conducted, some were reactive cases that were then referred to the lab for confirmatory testing.
From those reactive cases, usually 90 to 95 percent turn out positive for HIV.
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