Two-month-old is youngest HIV-TB patient
New figures show 67 HIV diagnoses among children under 15 and 17 HIV-related deaths in the same age group in 2025.
Thursday 17 September 2026 | 09:00
Fiji recorded 59 cases of mother-to-child HIV transmission in 2025, up from 32 the previous year.
A two-month-old baby has been identified as Fiji’s youngest patient living with HIV and tuberculosis (TB).
This highlights the growing concern over HIV infections among children.
The infant is among the latest cases recorded as Fiji reports 438 TB cases as of August 31, including 182 patients who are also living with HIV.
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Among children under five diagnosed with TB last year, 70 per cent were also living with HIV.
The latest HIV figures estimate that 12,000 people in Fiji are living with HIV, with infections increasing 14-fold in five years.
Mother-to-child transmission
The number of babies acquiring HIV through mother-to-child transmission almost doubled in 2025, with 59 cases compared with 32 in 2024.
There were also 67 new HIV diagnoses among children under 15, while 17 children in the same age group died from HIV-related causes.
Save the Children Fiji has called for stronger prevention, testing, treatment and support for pregnant women, children and adolescents.
Minister for Health Dr Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu said the Government was expanding HIV testing and prevention measures.
These include pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), long-acting injectable prevention, treatment as prevention, and a needle and syringe programme for people who inject drugs.
The Government has also established a Cabinet sub-committee to support the national HIV response.
Comments were sought from the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection.
