‘Low Condom Use Spike HIV’

The low condom use during sexual intercourse is a major contributor to the sudden increase in the number of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Fiji.

Another emerging threat is the sharing of unclean (non-sterile) needles from injecting drug users.

The main factors to these are the relatively low condom use in Fiji including the inability to generate more awareness on HIV prevention, testing and treatment.

This is the findings of Fiji’s inaugural Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) in 2021 which showed only 30 per cent of women aged 15-24 years and 26 per cent of men of the same age group were knowledgeable about HIV prevention.

Multiple partners

UNAIDS Pacific Office country director Renata Ram said the survey revealed very low condom use among people with multiple partners stating that 24 per cent of men and nine per cent of women between the ages of 15-49 years old had reported using a condom at their last sexual encounter.

“The MICS further revealed poor health seeking behaviours and knowledge of HIV status of individuals in Fiji,” Ms Ram said.

“Proportion of women and men aged 15-49 year undergoing HIV test in the past 12 months and know their test results are very low at seven per cent and four per cent, respectively.

“UNAIDS plays a strategic and advocacy role for the HIV response in Fiji.”

$2.6 million boost

Ms Ram said the heart of the HIV response and key players for UNAIDS in Fiji was with the communities.

She revealed UNAIDS had received donor funds from Australia under the Indo-Pacific Partnership which identified Fiji as a priority focus for this new partnership.

“A $2.6 million Australian help has been allocated to strengthening the response to HIV in Fiji for the next four years. This is in addition to other financial support that Fiji receives from Australia in the management of our response to HIV and the implementation of grants from the Global Fund,” she said.

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