HIV testing.

The Medical Officer in charge of the Central and Eastern Sexual Reproductive clinic Doctor Ashika Balak has highlighted the critical role of routine antenatal care in Fiji, where pregnant mothers are offered HIV and STI testing as a standard practice.

Emphasizing the importance of early testing, Dr Balak revealed that mothers who initiate antiretroviral treatment for HIV early in their pregnancy have achieved remarkable outcomes – none of their babies were born with the infection.

This stands in stark contrast to cases where mothers delay testing or medication adherence, leading to the transmission of HIV to their infants during pregnancy, labor or breastfeeding.

“So as of last year, you know, we diagnosed about 245 new cases out of which we had, you know, so that was the highest ever number of new cases that were diagnosed in one single year.”

Dr Balak encouraged expectant mothers to seek early antenatal care, ensuring timely testing and prompt treatment if necessary, virtually eliminating the risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission.

“The Minister of Health is coming up with a with a search strategy or our response, where which will be multisectorial just a couple of weeks ago, we met up with our community-based and CSOs and NGOs, all these organizations to come up with a strategy to come up with some recommendations on how we can respond better to the HIV situation we are having in the country at this moment.”

Dr Balak explained that successful HIV treatment reduces the virus in the bloodstream to undetectable levels, rendering individuals incapable of transmitting the virus, even through sexual contact.

She reminded the public that free and confidential HIV and STI testing is accessible at government health facilities across the country.

Her insights shed light on the proactive measures being taken in Fiji to combat HIV and STIs, ultimately working towards achieving the UNAIDS and UN agencies’ established targets.