THE Labasa Hospital is seeing a sharp rise in HIV cases, with doctors reporting a noticeable increase during recent patient admissions.

Hospital acting medical superintendent Dr Mikaele Mua said hospital staff members hade observed an average of one new HIV case per day over the past month.

Dr Mua described the trend as quite alarming as some of the patients showed up with severe complications and had no known risk factors.

“What’s even more surprising is that some of the patients presenting with complications are individuals you’d never expect to have HIV.”

While raising concerns about undiagnosed cases in the community, he said the increase might only represent a small part of a larger issue.

He said many people living with HIV may not yet know their status, as they have not shown symptoms or sought medical help.

“This raises concerns about undiagnosed cases in the community, that’s an area of real concern.”

He urged young people to get tested as early detection was key to treatment and preventing further spread.