HIV cases in Fiji has increased by 241 percent since 2010.

This was revealed in a report by UNAIDS titled ‘The Urgency of Now: AIDS at a Crossroads”.

UNAIDS Regional Director Eamonn Murphy says Fiji and other Pacific island countries must urgently invest in prevention and community leadership to combat the surge HIV cases.

Murphy says countries in the region particularly Fiji are at a critical moment that will determine whether leaders meet their commitment to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

The UNAIDS Regional Director also emphasizes the need to support people living with HIV and requiring life-long treatment.

“We must first understand the dynamics of the epidemic in every country before we can craft our interventions. And often, we need to understand the dynamics that are different from our urban and our rural areas across our countries and apply different approaches.”

Murphy adds if leaders do not step up their interventions, the number of people needing life-long support will rise.