‘Even if governments allocate more resources to awareness programmes it is the opinion leaders in society, especially religious leaders, that must encourage their followers to use condoms and practice safe sex.'


Papua New Guinea is clearly the Pacific Islands region’s Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) infections hotspot. As of early 2005, ninety percent of the region’s 11,000 odd reported cases were from that country, where HIV is now widely considered to have reached epidemic proportions.

Being lumped with PNG, the composite Pacific Islands HIV picture has therefore largely been formed by findings in PNG. That and the fact that just 10 percent of the other reported cases come from across 20 islands nations of Oceania have tended to make HIV look like it is primarily PNG’s problem.

Not so any more. The smaller Pacific islands nations can no longer continue to be smug in the belief that they have a comparatively low incidence. In fact, recent surveys show the incidence is not only growing steadily; but also that the entire region is failing at all levels to adequately address some of the main risk factors that are known to cause its rapid spread—a very disconcerting finding.

The number of reported HIV cases in the region has doubled every five years and an estimated 75,000 people are believed to be living with the infection in Oceania.

Last year, 4000 lost their lives and what is more alarming is that 8400 new cases were reported, despite increased awareness throughout the region. Among the emerging hotspots are Fiji, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Kiribati and Guam. Some others are fast catching up as well.

Speaking in terms of timelines, these countries are believed to be where PNG was between five and ten years ago and are feared to be hurtling in the same disastrous direction at great speed.

PNG itself is today surmised to be where Africa was ten years ago. But thanks to the concerted efforts of international agencies, the government and NGOs, PNG’s HIV awareness is widely considered to have grown considerably. The use of condoms—still the primary physical HIV prevention aid—has increased and surveys show that knowledge about HIV is more widespread than ever before.

In contrast to this, a combination of age-old social mores, religious beliefs and a fatal attitude of denial seem to hinder the smaller Pacific islands nations from embracing a much needed rational approach towards countering the spread of HIV.

This despite the Pacific Islands having far better literacy indicators than PNG. Recent surveys by different agencies monitoring HIV spread have come up with disturbing findings across most of the Pacific Islands outside PNG—the most startling being dangerously low condom use.

Kiribati is a glaring case in point. Though religious beliefs and cultural taboos get in the way of free and frank discussions about sex and HIV, these ideas have found their way into school curricula—a major achievement.

Moves are also afoot to send young people across the islands to engage with young, sexually active people and spread the message. Such efforts, though laudable, are tragically diluted by the irrationally rigid attitude of other influential sections of the society.

Speaking at the recent Pacific Youth Festival in Papeete, Kiribati’s peer educator, Tierata Taukabwan, was quoted as saying, “One of the hardest things for us is to actually promote condoms. The Catholic Church is against the way we discuss sexual activity and condom use.”

In the process, as new research and surveys show, teenage pregnancies abound in the already over-populated atoll nation, encouraging risky sexual behaviour—which has also seen a runaway increase in a variety of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs).

Given its relatively longer incubation phase, it is only a question of time when the incidence of reported HIV infections registers an increase.

Just how poor condom usage is in the Pacific islands is borne out by such facts as 29 percent of the 4305 people surveyed in six countries were found to have STD Chlamydia, and as many as 47 percent of people detected with syphilis in Auckland claimed they had contracted it while travelling in the Pacific islands.

An increase in STD presage a growing incidence of HIV in the background—most STDs manifest themselves clinically far quicker than HIV. This runaway rise in STDs in the Pacific Islands is a grave warning sign and must be heeded forthwith.

The region needs to do first things first: in PNG as everywhere else in the high-HIV incidence parts of the world, it is the humble latex condom that has repeatedly proven itself as the most potent weapon against the spread of HIV and STD. Successful promotion of condom use has seen both an increase in awareness of HIV and a decline in the rise of new cases.

Even if governments allocate more resources to awareness programmes with the help of resources from international aid agencies in their implementation phases, it is the opinion leaders in society, especially religious leaders and institutions, that wield such enormous influence over the Pacific peoples. It is up to them to actively encourage their followers to use condoms and practice safe sex before the situation worsens into an epidemic.