Papua New Guinea declares national HIV crisis as cases surge
Papua New Guinea is grappling with a severe resurgence of HIV, prompting the government to declare a National HIV Crisis.
New data reveals a doubling of new infections since 2010, with an estimated 30 people contracting the virus daily in 2024, totalling approximately 11,000 new cases last year alone.
It's a worrying trend for the country, at a time when global infection rates are on the decline.
This alarming trend highlights a deepening crisis, particularly impacting women, children and young people.
And it comes at a time described as an "existential crisis" for HIV health with ambitions to end the global HIV epidemic as a public health threat by 2030 look increasingly out of reach.
Experts fear there could be an increase in new infections for the first time in decades after billions of dollars in foreign aid and medical research were slashed by the US government.
Infants increasingly infected
A deeply concerning aspect of the resurgence in PNG is the high rate of mother-to-child transmission.
In 2024, around 2,700 infants were newly infected with HIV, equating to about seven babies per day.
The primary reason for these preventable infections is that most mothers were unaware of their HIV status and, consequently, did not receive the crucial antiretroviral therapy (ART) that could have prevented transmission to their babies during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
This significant gap in maternal health services highlights the urgent need to boost antenatal care uptake and broaden HIV testing, counselling, and treatment services for all pregnant women across the nation.
'A national HIV crisis'
"The rise in new HIV infections in PNG is deeply concerning. And as such, I am declaring this a national HIV crisis," Health Minister Elias Kapavore said.
Mr Kapavore further stressed the societal roots of the epidemic and his commitment to addressing them.
"HIV is a disease of inequality. We need to support and empower those most impacted. It is time for all of us to step-up," he said.
"I personally commit to raising this issue with my fellow ministers and parliamentarians and ensuring the urgent allocation of resources to protect our people — especially the next generation of Papua New Guineans."
Department of Health acting secretary Ken Wai echoed Mr Kapavore's call to action, emphasising the need for expanded access to vital services.
"We must scale-up access to HIV testing and treatment, particularly for groups most at risk."
He added that these critical initiatives need to be available at health facilities nationwide and will require robust community leadership and support.
Robust health system required
The World Health Organisation PNG country representative, Sevil Huseynova, highlighted the importance of robust health systems in the fight against HIV.
"We must strengthen our health systems to ensure universal access to HIV testing, treatment, and prevention services, especially for pregnant women and young people," Dr Huseynova said.
"This is a test of our collective commitment to health for all. WHO stands firmly with the government of Papua New Guinea to scale up integrated, person-centred care that leaves no one behind."
UNAIDS PNG country director Manoela Manova strongly endorsed the statements from Mr Kapavore and Mr Wai, drawing attention to the pervasive issue of stigma.
"This is a shared public health crisis that demands shared responsibility. Everyone has a role to play in dismantling harmful myths, stigma, and discrimination associated with HIV," Ms Manova said.
These attitudes undermine prevention, testing and treatment efforts, and hold us back from ending HIV as a public health threat in Papua New Guinea."
The United Nations says it will provide as much support as needed to the government to contain this crisis.
The declaration of a National HIV Crisis will trigger an emergency response plan, aiming to enhance cross-sector coordination and prioritise investments in HIV services at all levels.
'I felt hopeless'
Living as a transgender woman in Papua New Guinea discrimination is part of Nancey's everyday life.
"Papua New Guinea ... they still have this thing that, I mean, if you're a man, you're a man and they don't, really... they only have one like it's a male or a female. That's just one gender," she said.
But when Nancey was diagnosed with HIV 10 years ago she says the stigma doubled.
"I felt hopeless. I just felt like that was the end of my life. Yeah, and it really affected me mentally."
Nancy is now healthier than ever thanks to the anti-retroviral medication she takes regularly.
"You can actually be on that treatment and live a longer life and live a healthy life and you can still do things that you are doing.
"You can still play sports. You can still actively participate in anything that you're doing."
But that's not the case for many of the 120,000 people estimated to have HIV in PNG, with fewer than half accessing medication.
RNZ/ABC
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Andy Park: Papua New Guinea has declared a national HIV crisis with the number of new cases increasing by almost 50% in the last decade. PNG correspondent Marion Faa has the story. Marian Faa: Living as a transgender woman in Papua New Guinea, discrimination is part of Nancy's everyday life. Nancy: Papua New Guinea, like PNG, they still have this thing that, I mean if you're a man, you're a man and they don't really, like it's a male or a female, it's just one gender. Marian Faa: But when she was diagnosed with HIV 10 years ago, the stigma doubled. Nancy: I felt hopeless. I just felt like that was the end of my life, yeah, and it really affected me mentally. Marian Faa: Nancy is now healthier than ever thanks to the antiretroviral medication she takes regularly. That's not the case for many. Of the 120,000 people estimated to have HIV in PNG, less than half are accessing medication. And there's concern about a dramatic increase in new infections. Ken Wai is the National Health Secretary in PNG. Ken Wai: The biggest worry is we don't want to run the risk of increasing these numbers. Marian Faa: In the past decade, the number of new cases has nearly doubled from around 6,000 per year in 2015 to 11,000 last year. If the trend continues, Mr Wai says the whole country will suffer. Ken Wai: Then we are going to buy HIV medicine only and then we will run out of money to buy TB drugs and malaria drugs and typhoid drugs and diarrhoea drugs and every others. Marian Faa: He says the PNG government is doing its bit. Ken Wai: Government does not fail in providing money to buy HIV medicines. For the last five years, seven years, we've never run out of HIV medicines and we've never run out of HIV testing reagents. Marian Faa: But UNAIDS, the United Nations HIV prevention arm, says the health department could be doing more. Manoela Manova is the UNAIDS country director in PNG. Manoela Manova: The need for controlling the epidemic is huge, it's enormous and it is estimated to cost 280 million per year. It requires resources and our call is for the government at least to match and to allocate double the amount that is currently allocated. Marian Faa: In PNG, authorities say it'll take a concerted effort from individuals, donors and the government to get things under control. They're urging individuals to practice safe sex, use condoms and get regular health checks. Andy Park: Marion Faa there.
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Papua New Guinea declares national HIV crisis as cases surge
Papua New Guinea is grappling with a severe resurgence of HIV, prompting the government to declare a National HIV Crisis. New data reveals a doubling of new infections since 2010, with an estimated 30 people contracting the virus daily in 2024, totalling approximately 11,000 new cases last year alone. It's a worrying trend for the country, at a time when global infection rates are on the decline. This alarming trend highlights a deepening crisis, particularly impacting women, children and young people. And it comes at a time described as an "existential crisis" for HIV health with ambitions to end the global HIV epidemic as a public health threat by 2030 look increasingly out of reach. Experts fear there could be an increase in new infections for the first time in decades after billions of dollars in foreign aid and medical research were slashed by the US government. Infants increasingly infected A deeply concerning aspect of the resurgence in PNG is the high rate of mother-to-child transmission. In 2024, around 2,700 infants were newly infected with HIV, equating to about seven babies per day. The primary reason for these preventable infections is that most mothers were unaware of their HIV status and, consequently, did not receive the crucial antiretroviral therapy (ART) that could have prevented transmission to their babies during pregnancy or breastfeeding. This significant gap in maternal health services highlights the urgent need to boost antenatal care uptake and broaden HIV testing, counselling, and treatment services for all pregnant women across the nation. 'A national HIV crisis' "The rise in new HIV infections in PNG is deeply concerning. And as such, I am declaring this a national HIV crisis," Health Minister Elias Kapavore said. Mr Kapavore further stressed the societal roots of the epidemic and his commitment to addressing them. "HIV is a disease of inequality. We need to support and empower those most impacted. It is time for all of us to step-up," he said. "I personally commit to raising this issue with my fellow ministers and parliamentarians and ensuring the urgent allocation of resources to protect our people — especially the next generation of Papua New Guineans." Department of Health acting secretary Ken Wai echoed Mr Kapavore's call to action, emphasising the need for expanded access to vital services. "We must scale-up access to HIV testing and treatment, particularly for groups most at risk." He added that these critical initiatives need to be available at health facilities nationwide and will require robust community leadership and support. Robust health system required The World Health Organisation PNG country representative, Sevil Huseynova, highlighted the importance of robust health systems in the fight against HIV. "We must strengthen our health systems to ensure universal access to HIV testing, treatment, and prevention services, especially for pregnant women and young people," Dr Huseynova said. "This is a test of our collective commitment to health for all. WHO stands firmly with the government of Papua New Guinea to scale up integrated, person-centred care that leaves no one behind." UNAIDS PNG country director Manoela Manova strongly endorsed the statements from Mr Kapavore and Mr Wai, drawing attention to the pervasive issue of stigma. "This is a shared public health crisis that demands shared responsibility. Everyone has a role to play in dismantling harmful myths, stigma, and discrimination associated with HIV," Ms Manova said. These attitudes undermine prevention, testing and treatment efforts, and hold us back from ending HIV as a public health threat in Papua New Guinea." The United Nations says it will provide as much support as needed to the government to contain this crisis. The declaration of a National HIV Crisis will trigger an emergency response plan, aiming to enhance cross-sector coordination and prioritise investments in HIV services at all levels. 'I felt hopeless' Living as a transgender woman in Papua New Guinea discrimination is part of Nancey's everyday life. "Papua New Guinea ... they still have this thing that, I mean, if you're a man, you're a man and they don't, really... they only have one like it's a male or a female. That's just one gender," she said. But when Nancey was diagnosed with HIV 10 years ago she says the stigma doubled. "I felt hopeless. I just felt like that was the end of my life. Yeah, and it really affected me mentally." Nancy is now healthier than ever thanks to the anti-retroviral medication she takes regularly. "You can actually be on that treatment and live a longer life and live a healthy life and you can still do things that you are doing. "You can still play sports. You can still actively participate in anything that you're doing." But that's not the case for many of the 120,000 people estimated to have HIV in PNG, with fewer than half accessing medication. RNZ/ABC
