<img alt="Mark Shaheel Lal is the founder of Living Positive Fiji and a reconciliation officer for the Fiji Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He says: "The majority of my friends, they got HIV through crystal meth." He was photographed at the AIDS conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in July." src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3000x2000+0+0/resize/3000x2000!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffb%2Fdf%2F43ea1eee4821ab65e5f43991df81%2Ffiji-hiv-06220.jpg" /><p>In mid-September 2026, Fiji's government declared a national emergency due to a significant increase in HIV infections. The rise in infections has been attributed in part to the country's ongoing crystal meth epidemic.</p><p>(Image credit: Ian Cheibub for NPR)</p><img src="https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=g-s1-144667" />
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Fiji Declares National Emergency Due to Rising HIV Infections Linked to Crystal Meth Use
In September 2026, the Fijian government declared a national emergency in response to a rise in HIV infections. The increase has been linked to the country's crystal meth epidemic.
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Original Headline
Meth is a key driver in Fiji's fast-growing HIV epidemic: 1 in 60 adults are affected
Neutral Headline
Fiji Declares National Emergency Due to Rising HIV Infections Linked to Crystal Meth Use