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HIV HIV

“The numbers were [previously] less than 100 per year. But these treatments available in the country and it’s free
just in the last five years, it shot up 100 plus per year,” said of charge to all people living with HIV…The goal of the
Dr Dashika Balak, Senior Medical Officer with the Fiji Ministry treatment is to lower the virus in your blood to such low
of Health. levels where it can be fully suppressed and we term that as
“We had 14 babies who contracted the infection from their undetectable, and that person will not be able to transmit HIV
mothers during pregnancy or labour or breastfeeding. That sexually to anyone else, and that person will live a productive
was the highest ever as well,” Dr Balak told Islands Business. and prolonged healthy life,” she said.
Other factors causing the increase in infections in Fiji are “They just take one pill, as compared to 2010, when they
unsafe sex practices and drug consumption. Fiji’s first-ever used to take more than 10 pills,” she added.
Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) in 2021 revealed very Renata Ram, Country Director of UNAIDS Fiji and the
low condom use among people with multiple partners, with Pacific, reiterated that the UN agency is also working on
24% of men and 9% of women between the ages of 15-49 years developing a package of Combination HIV prevention services
old reporting that they used a condom at their last sexual that covers a mix of biobehavioural factors.
encounter. In a community where increased pornography viewership
“Our condom rates are really low in the country, and we is causing some leaders concern, Ram said there isn’t any
also have groups of people who are sharing needles and research suggesting that pornography directly increases rates
syringes when they’re injecting drugs [into their bodies],” of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
said Dr Balak. “While pornography viewership is widespread in Fiji, it does
“We have identified so many challenges and we are trying not directly equate to an increase in sexual activity or risky
our best as a program to try and rectify the issues. The behaviour in real life,” said Ram.
challenges are from everywhere. We’re not saying it’s from Ram believes Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) is
the patients’-only side, it’s also from our side as well. But vital in providing a balanced and realistic understanding of
the major concern for us is people are having sex without sex and relationships.
condoms, and that is something that we really need to talk “It can mitigate some of the potential negative influences
about, and we really need to empower young people to use of pornography (from the lack of understanding of safe sex) on
them,” said Dr Balak. sexual behaviour and help in understanding the complexities
While topics about sex can be seen as “taboo” in Pacific around STI rates,” she said.
communities, Dr Balak believes that “unless we talk about “CSE teaches about consent and healthy relationship
it, what is good and what is bad about sexual health, and the dynamics, which might be misrepresented or absent in
right thing to do to protect themselves, they won’t be able pornography. This education helps individuals form a
to know it. So we, as a nation, need to start talking to all our healthier, more respectful approach to sexual relationships,”
young people.” she added.
Dr Balak said the MoH have been conducting HIV/AIDS Fiji’s re-entry into The Global Fund next year “will
community outreach programs to combat the increase in provide further health security in Fiji and other Pacific
cases such as the recent Health Expo in close partnership with Island countries,” said Ram. The Global Fund is a worldwide
relevant agencies such as UNAIDS Pacific, Reproductive Family partnership that raise and invest more than US$5 billion per
Health Association of Fiji, and Medical Services Pacific. year to defeat HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria and ensure a
“We are also going to schools, like tertiary institutions such healthier, safer, and more equitable future for all.
as Fiji National University and the University of the South “We can expect to see strengthening of data for better
Pacific, having testing campaigns with them and also providing programming purposes, upscaling of community-led programs
advocacy and awareness materials,” she said. through a combination prevention approach, which includes
“Another thing that we are working on is putting condom providing prevention commodities such as condoms,
dispensers in selected places. So we started off in some of pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), testing and treatment,
the public toilets where they have those dispensers, and our improvement on communication for empowered safer choices,
clinics have dispensers outside too, so even after-hours, they and an introduction of prevention programs for people who
can come and access it,” she added. use drugs, through harm reduction strategies such as needle-
“We have rolled out Point-of-Care (PT) testing in our health exchange programs to mitigate the risk of new infections from
clinics,” said Dr Balak, who’s also the Officer-in-Charge of the the sharing of needles and PrEP,” added Ram.
Suva Sexual and Reproductive Health Clinic. Dr Balak said the Fund will be for three years. “Whatever
“PT testing is [similar] to testing diabetes. We prick your activities that we have under the Global Fund, we had to
finger, take out a bit of blood and within 15 minutes, you’ll be be very mindful that when we made the work plan, that these
able to at least know if you are positive or not for HIV. If they are activities that the MoH will be able to sustain,”
are positive, we’ll know as soon as possible and then they can she said.
be put on antiretroviral (ART) treatment,” she said.
Dr Balak said she has seen patients thrive on ART reporter@islandsbusiness.com
treatments. “We are so lucky and fortunate that we have

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