Two-month-old baby living with HIV and TB highlights impact of Fiji’s HIV crisis on children

Two-month-old baby living with HIV and TB highlights impact of Fiji’s HIV crisis on children
Save the Children Fiji is raising serious concerns about the impact of HIV on children and calling for stronger prevention, testing and treatment, after revealing that a two-month-old baby is currently living with both HIV and tuberculosis.

The organisation says the baby is the youngest patient in Fiji currently living with both HIV and TB, and the case should be of serious concern to the nation.

Save the Children Fiji says as of 31st August this year, Fiji had recorded 438 TB cases, with 182 of those patients also living with HIV.

They say the situation among young children is also concerning, with 70 percent of children under five diagnosed with TB last year also living with HIV.

The organisation says 59 babies acquired HIV through mother-to-child transmission in 2025, while 67 new HIV cases were recorded among children under the age of 15.

They say 17 children under the age of 15 also died from HIV-related causes.

Save the Children Fiji says behind every number is a child, a family and a life that deserves protection, and these figures should not become normal.

The organisation stresses that the situation is not about blaming or shaming people living with HIV, saying they deserve dignity, treatment, compassion and support.

They say urgent action is needed to ensure people have access to HIV prevention, testing and treatment before they become seriously ill.

Save the Children Fiji is also calling for timely access to HIV testing, treatment and antenatal care during pregnancy to help reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission.

They say children and teenagers need stronger protection and age-appropriate education, while parents should be supported to have open conversations with their children.

The organisation says government, communities, churches, schools, traditional leaders and civil society must work together as Fiji responds to the national HIV crisis.

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