Concern about HIV cases in Fiji children after four deaths
A 3d rendered illustration of HIV.
Photo:
123rf
Fiji's Ministry of Health is raising concern about a growing number of HIV cases in children, after four young patients have died this year.
Consultant Pediatrician Dr. Miriama Thaggard from Labasa Hospital said in one case, with a child quickly deteriorating, they were thinking maybe it's HIV.
So they tested the baby, and the baby was positive.
FBC
reported that as of 27 May, there have been 19 new pediatric HIV cases reported this year.
The health ministry is urging early testing.
On 23 January, Fiji
declared an outbreak of HIV
.
Dr Ratu Atonio Rabici Lalabalavu announced 1093 new HIV cases from the period of January to September 2024.
In early December, the Fiji Medical Association called on the government to declare an HIV outbreak "as a matter of priority".
As of mid-December, 19 under-fives were diagnosed with HIV in Fiji. Before the declaration, the UN Development Programme delivered 3000 antiretroviral drugs to Fiji to support the HIV response.
The country's health ministry said in January that
funding for HIV programmes in Fiji has dropped
in recent years.
The
Fiji Times
reported the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Dr Jemesa Tudravu, saying financial resources for HIV programs have decreased from FJ$5 million (US$2.2m) in 2011 to FJ$1.2million (US$529,492) by 2016.
"The government funding support reduced in 2012, and in 2013 it has slowly built up again in 2016 and 2018," he said.
"However, the support from international funding has markedly reduced."
A report released in mid-2024 showed that in 2023, 6.7 million people living with HIV were residing in Asia and the Pacific, making it the world's largest epidemic after eastern and southern Africa.
The US president Donald Trump's plan to slash foreign aid has derailed
efforts to contain growing HIV epidemics in the Asia Pacific
and caused some programs to be suspended.
Cameron Hill, a senior researcher with the Development Policy Centre at the Australian National University, said in March the Australian government has seen that the projects that are likely to be cut, that it is most concerned about, are TB and HIV programmes in PNG and Fiji.
"So, what it has done in this budget is it has taken some of the money it was going to spend on global programmes, global health, global education programmes, and shifted that money across to help buttress health programmes, particularly in PNG, Fiji."
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Dr Phanuphak was speaking with CNS (Citizen News Service) around 10th Asia Pacific AIDS and Co-Infections Conference (APACC 2025), 2nd Asia Pacific Conference on Point-of-Care Diagnostics for Infectious Diseases (POC 2025) and 13th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2025). When people lead, change happens Sterling examples of high impact key population or community-led health service deliver models come from Thailand. HIV key populations continue to play a major role in delivering Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP for HIV prevention) to those who are at a heightened risk of HIV acquisition. Thailand has the largest PrEP rollout in Asia Pacific region, 80% of people using PrEP in Thailand receive it from a clinic led and staffed by members of the community that it serves. Key population led health services mean that community thinks, demands and does the work and manages the programmes, for the benefit of their own community members (and the country). 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He acknowledges that USA President Trump's current policy decisions have severed research funding and development financing for a range of programmes including HIV in the Global South. 'This could pose to be a big obstacle for ending AIDS in many developing countries,' said Dr Phanuphak. Lot of progress towards ending AIDS but challenges remain Thailand has seen alarmingly high HIV rates in certain sub-national areas or key populations in late 1980s and early 1990s. But a strong community-led response to prevent HIV has turned the tide since then and brought down HIV rates significantly. Thailand today champions a HIV response which parallels only a few other nations in the Global South. And Thailand is on track to deliver on HIV goals for 2025 too. '100% condom use campaign to prevent HIV infection from commercial sex was a game changer. 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Immunologic investigations revealed that his T-helper cell numbers and T-cell functions were moderately low, but no diagnosis was made. In February 1985 the patient was admitted into the hospital with confirmed diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) and his T-cell numbers and functions were further deteriorated. With the diagnosis of PCP and severe T-cell defect, AIDS was diagnosed at that time,' shared Dr Praphan Phanuphak. He added: 'During the same month, a Thai male sex worker was referred to Chulalongkorn Hospital because of multi-organ cryptococcal infection. His T-cell numbers and T-cell functions were also severely impaired. AIDS was diagnosed in this second patient since he had sexual contact with a foreign man who had sex with men. The girlfriend of this patient was asymptomatic but had generalised lymphadenopathy, Her T-cell numbers and functions were moderately impaired. This patient was counted as the third case. 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Together with late Professors Joep Lange and David Cooper, Prof Praphan co-founded HIV-NAT (the HIV Netherlands, Australia, Thailand Research Collaboration), Asia's first HIV clinical trials centre in Bangkok in 1996. Prof Praphan served as the Director of the Thai Red Cross AIDS Research Centre for 31 years (1989-2020) and is currently the Senior Research and Policy Advocacy Advisor of the Institute of HIV Research and Innovation (IHRI) in Bangkok as well as the Advisor of HIV-NAT. Dr Phanuphak was speaking with CNS (Citizen News Service) around 10th Asia Pacific AIDS and Co-Infections Conference (APACC 2025), 2nd Asia Pacific Conference on Point-of-Care Diagnostics for Infectious Diseases (POC 2025) and 13th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2025). When people lead, change happens Sterling examples of high impact key population or community-led health service deliver models come from Thailand. 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"Key population led health services (KPLHS) is a bottom-up approach in providing healthcare. It speaks to the needs and willingness of the community which will increase the value of the effort as compared to some thing being given to them passively (top-down approach). It fills the gaps that government cannot do and it is acceptable by the community they serve," emphasised Dr Praphan Phanuphak. However, there could be some misunderstanding from the government side in some instances. For example, some may opine that 'government is getting blamed for not doing enough good work because of which NGOs are trying to compete with them'. Truth is that KPLHS or community-led models are only helping complement government's work. "One has to show the evidence that KPLHS (key population led health services) can actually provide quality services to the populations that conventional healthcare providers cannot. Key population led health services will lead to ending AIDS and other sustainable health goals beyond HIV, such as mental health and NCDs, i.e., KPLHS is in accordance with government policy," said Dr Phanuphak. He added: "KPLHS or key population or community led health services is one arm of the holistic healthcare approach. They need to collaborate with the main stream public healthcare systems. Once the government accepts these facts, legal and financial supports will follow. However, key population led health services may be more expensive than conventional healthcare since the personnels and office facilities are not provided by the government. Therefore, they need enough financial support to ensure sustainability of the programme." 95-95-95 HIV targets for 2025 Dr Praphan firmly believes that the 95-95-95 HIV goals can be achieved. We have science-based tools to deliver on these goals, he said. 95-95-95 goals refer to ensuring 95% of people living with HIV know their HIV positive status, 95% of them are receiving lifesaving antiretroviral therapy, and 95% of those on treatment are virally suppressed. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is ZERO RISK of any further HIV transmission from a person living with HIV whose viral load remains undetectable. That is why it is referred to as Undetectable Equals Untransmittable or #UequalsU. Dr Praphan Phanuphak stresses upon "finding people with HIV early in all sub-groups of the population." He calls for focussing on HIV key populations as well as general population too. "General population is the group currently being left behind since we have rightly focussed on key populations now - but if we are to end AIDS by 2030, we need to reach out to everyone. Each individual - from general population or key population - should have at least one HIV test in their life - earlier the better (and repeat test as appropriate)," he said. "Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) can prevent up to 99.9% HIV acquisition": Dr Praphan Phanuphak Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is a medicine taken by those without HIV to reduce the risk of getting infected with the virus. "PrEP can prevent up to 99.9% of HIV acquisition. One needs to scale up access to PrEP widely and rapidly. Once HIV cannot spread further and individual-at-risk cannot acquire new HIV infection with PrEP use, AIDS can be ended," said Dr Praphan Phanuphak. Treatment is also prevention because when people with HIV are on treatment and their viral load is undetectable, then there is zero risk of any further HIV transmission. Thailand government rolls out PrEP under its universal health coverage since 2019 onwards. A majority of PrEP is being provided through key population led health services in Thailand. Eliminate legal and structural barriers Dr Praphan calls for eliminating all legal and structural barriers including stigma and discrimination that block access to existing HIV and other health and social support services - especially for HIV key populations. He not only calls for strong and sustained national political commitment which is essential to end AIDS by 2030 but also for accountability of political leaders if we fail to deliver on the promise to end AIDS by 2030. He acknowledges that USA President Trump's current policy decisions have severed research funding and development financing for a range of programmes including HIV in the Global South. "This could pose to be a big obstacle for ending AIDS in many developing countries," said Dr Phanuphak. Lot of progress towards ending AIDS but challenges remain Thailand has seen alarmingly high HIV rates in certain sub-national areas or key populations in late 1980s and early 1990s. But a strong community-led response to prevent HIV has turned the tide since then and brought down HIV rates significantly. Thailand today champions a HIV response which parallels only a few other nations in the Global South. And Thailand is on track to deliver on HIV goals for 2025 too. "100% condom use campaign to prevent HIV infection from commercial sex was a game changer. Establishment of HIV-NAT (the HIV Netherlands Australia Thailand Research Collaboration), the first HIV clinical trials centre in Asia to provide free up-to-date HIV treatment through clinical trials in 1996, was another major step forward," said Dr Praphan Phanuphak. Helping children born to HIV positive parents are HIV free When world's first therapy was rolled out in the rich nations in 1994 to reduce the risk of vertical transmission of HIV (from mother to child), Thailand soon began its rollout two years later (1996 onwards). Zidovudine was the first available antiretroviral agent for reducing mother-to-child HIV transmission in 1994. "Princess Soamsawali prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) project was another gamechanger to provide up-to-date PMTCT drugs to all pregnant women in Thailand, free of charge, from 1996 to 2010," said Dr Praphan Phanuphak. Thailand government took over and provided science-based triple antiretroviral therapy from 2010 to all HIV infected pregnant women so that no child is born of HIV. In 2016, Thailand became the first country in Asian region to eliminate mother to child transmission of HIV as well as syphilis. Another gamechanger which helped Thailand progress towards ending AIDS is generic manufacturing of lifesaving antiretroviral medicines from 2006 onwards. Thailand is a leading manufacturer of generic medicines in the region and also procures lifesaving medicines from other nations including India. Test and treat policy was rolled out in Thailand, a year before the WHO recommendation came in A year before the WHO recommendation came for "Test and Treat" policy, Thailand had begun its rollout. WHO "Test and Treat" policy meant that anyone diagnosed with HIV, regardless of their CD4 count or stage of infection, should be offered and immediately linked to lifesaving antiretroviral therapy. Strong scientific evidence showed that this approach maximises the benefits of early treatment for individual health and to prevent further transmission of the virus. What could have gone better in HIV response Dr Praphan Phanuphak reflects and shares that although "Test and Treat" and PrEP was rolled out by Thailand but it has not been implemented to its full scale. To some extent, it lacks a sense of urgency, and frequent changes of policy makers also impacted the rollout. Flashback to 1980s: When first HIV cases were diagnosed in Thailand by Dr Praphan Phanuphak "I was accidentally involved in HIV/AIDS arena. I am not an infectious disease doctor, but an allergist and clinical immunologist trained in USA. The first patient, an American gay man living in Thailand, was referred to me at King Chulalongkorn Hospital in October 1984 to investigate the cause of his recurrent muco-cutaneous infection. Immunologic investigations revealed that his T-helper cell numbers and T-cell functions were moderately low, but no diagnosis was made. In February 1985 the patient was admitted into the hospital with confirmed diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) and his T-cell numbers and functions were further deteriorated. With the diagnosis of PCP and severe T-cell defect, AIDS was diagnosed at that time," shared Dr Praphan Phanuphak. He added: "During the same month, a Thai male sex worker was referred to Chulalongkorn Hospital because of multi-organ cryptococcal infection. His T-cell numbers and T-cell functions were also severely impaired. AIDS was diagnosed in this second patient since he had sexual contact with a foreign man who had sex with men. The girlfriend of this patient was asymptomatic but had generalised lymphadenopathy, Her T-cell numbers and functions were moderately impaired. This patient was counted as the third case. Sera collected from these 3 patients were tested for HIV in May 1985 when the anti-HIV test kit was available in Thailand. All were HIV-positive. These are the first 3 HIV/AIDS cases diagnosed in Thailand, all in February 1985. With the availability of anti-HIV test in Thailand, more and more patients were diagnosed. This accidentally drove me deeper and deeper into the HIV field, coupled with the fact that there were not very many infectious disease doctors in the early days who were willing to see HIV patients." Dr Phanuphak's lifetime contribution and continuing guidance to shaping HIV responses in Thailand and worldwide is commendable. We hope community-led responses would steer the global AIDS response towards getting on track to end AIDS by 2030. Shobha Shukla – CNS (Citizen News Service) (Shobha Shukla is the award-winning founding Managing Editor and Executive Director of CNS (Citizen News Service) and is a feminist, health and development justice advocate. She is a former senior Physics faculty of prestigious Loreto Convent College and current Coordinator of Asia Pacific Regional Media Alliance for Health and Development (APCAT Media) and Chairperson of Global AMR Media Alliance (GAMA received AMR One Health Emerging Leaders and Outstanding Talents Award 2024). She also coordinates SHE & Rights initiative (Sexual health with equity & rights)
