Kamna Kumar 
The Fiji Cancer Society has issued a warning about a potential increase in cancer cases linked to the increasing number of individuals living with HIV in the country.
Palliative Care Program Officer Alumita Bera says that a weakened immune system, a consequence of HIV, impairs the body’s ability to fight diseases, thus elevating cancer risk.
This warning comes after Minister for Health Dr. Atonio Lalabalavu declared an HIV outbreak earlier this year, revealing 1,093 cases recorded between January and September 2024.
Bera says a weak immune system makes people more likely to get serious illnesses, including cancer.
“When you have HIV, your immune system is depleted, it’s affected. When you have low immune system, you are exposed to all the different kinds of sicknesses. And cancer, you are exposed to cancer in the way, in what you eat, what you breathe, your lifestyle.”
Bera says even without a family history of cancer, lifestyle factors such as diet, smoking, and environment can increase the risk of cancer.
She adds the Fiji Cancer Society is particularly worried about late-stage cancer diagnoses, as many people living with HIV are not undergoing regular testing.
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