Meth is a key driver in Fiji’s fast-growing HIV epidemic: 1 in 60 adults are affected

Mark Shaheel Lal is the founder of Living Positive Fiji and a reconciliation officer for the Fiji Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He says: "The majority of my friends, they got HIV through crystal meth." He was photographed at the AIDS conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in July.

In mid-September, Fiji’s government declared a national emergency because of a startling rise in HIV infections. The country’s crystal meth epidemic is a strong contributing factor.

(Image credit: Ian Cheibub for NPR)