‘Children are dying’: Fiji hopes declaring an HIV emergency will help it tackle crisis

One in 60 adults Fiji lives with HIV but a recent emergency declaration may help address key issues such as syringe sharing

On a recent Friday night, Dr Kesaia Tuidraki’s medical team parked its mobile clinic outside McDonald’s in downtown Suva, Fiji, and grabbed any kid they could to be tested for HIV. Of the 97 people screened, mostly teenagers – some on their way to get a burger, others to buy drugs – one in six tested positive.

“Children are suffering, children are dying, and if that doesn’t move you I don’t know what will,” Tuidraki, country director of Medical Services Pacific, tells the Guardian.