THE increasing rate of Human Immunodeficiency Virus is alarming, says a health official.

Ministry of Health director public health Doctor Timaima Tuiketei said 29 confirmed HIV cases reported for the first nine months of this year was an indication that the number would increase.

"There were 31 cases for 2003, 29 cases were reported in 2004 and 29 for 2005,"she said. "For the first nine months of this year, there have been 29 reported cases.

"As of the September 30, a cumulative total of 229 HIV infections have been recorded in the country since 1989,"she said.

"Following the establishment of the new HIV testing strategy for confirmatory testing at the Fiji Centre for Communicable Disease Control at Mataika House, 29 new cases have been confirmed.

"Statistics show that Fiji has passed the slow burning stage of the disease in the first 10 years of the HIV epidemic."

Dr Tuiketei said 82 per cent of cases were indigenous Fijians, with, "eighty-eight per cent having acquired HIV through heterosexual mode of transmission, with 43 per cent being women,"she said.

"Forty-four per cent of those affected are in the 20 to 29 years age category, 31 per cent in the in the 30 to 39 year age group and 10 per cent were 40 to 49-year-olds. "Certain population groups are identified in the Fiji National Strategic Plan with increased vulnerability to HIV because of their circumstances of their lives and occupation.

"These include young people and adolescents, street children, sex workers, men having sex with men and people who travel overseas for work.

"The response to the rising epidemic in the country has been galvanised by high-level HIV awareness in Fiji, however, there is still much to be done."

Dr Tuiketei said the Government's response to HIV was evident by the increased resources provided to the Health Ministry.

She commended the work of NGOs as well.

Fiji Council of Social Services executive director Hassan Khan said more awareness programs were needed to enable civil society to reach out.

"Through this awareness perhaps there will be more cases found,"he said. "It will probably come to a peak and start going down."

Mr Khan said greater awareness was needed at school level.

"At the schools and other levels, not much is being done because funds are not enough but one has to integrate awareness with other activities,"he said.

"You cannot talk about HIV in isolation, it has been included in all our activities,"he said.

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