MANILA: The World Health Organisation (WHO) in the Western Pacific region has raised an alarm about the "sharp increases" in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) cases in the Philippines, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea in recent years, "with implications for national and regional security."
At Wednesday's meeting in Fiji that brought together ministers of health from the 38 countries and areas in the Western Pacific Region, as well as civil society and development partners, the WHO and UNAIDS Asia-Pacific convened to confront the region's HIV crisis amid growing national epidemics and seek solutions to accelerate progress on HIV prevention.
In Fiji, the meeting noted that new infections have increased tenfold over the past decade, including a massive spike in 2024. Injectable drug use has been identified as a major factor, with potential spillover of infections to other Pacific island countries.