Bluetoothing is a very high-risk activity that can spread HIV, cause severe anaphylactic reactions and even cause death.

This was highlighted by Health Minister Dr Atonio Lalabalavu in Parliament today.

He said it should a concern for all Fijians that HIV cases have doubled since 2021 and the trend was expected to continue this year.

Dr Lalabalavu also said the numbers recorded at the ministry may only be a fraction of the real number of cases in the community.

He said Bluetoothing involved an injecting drug user (IDU) plunging a syringe of diluted methamphetamine into a bloodstream, drawing first blood and sharing the syringe with a second person, who can then pass it on to a third.

Dr Lalabalavu said it was a very high-risk activity that posed a number of serious health issues for those involves such as – serious adverse effects from sharing of unmatched blood that include severe anaphylactic reactions and death.

He also said it could cause transmission of serious infections such as HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.

Dr Lalabalavu said bacterial infections at the injection site as well as passing bacteria into the blood stream could cause severe infections, from unhygienic injecting practices.