Fiji’s government declared a national emergency in mid-September in response to a startling rise in HIV infections, according to NPR. The move signals the scale of a health crisis that officials say is spreading quickly across the Pacific nation.

At the heart of the emergency is a fast-growing HIV epidemic that now affects an estimated 1 in 60 adults in Fiji. That prevalence rate underscores why authorities have chosen to elevate the response to the national level.

According to NPR, the country’s crystal meth epidemic is a strong contributing factor in the surge of new infections. The link between methamphetamine use and HIV transmission has placed drug use at the center of Fiji’s public health challenge.

The declaration of a national emergency is a formal step that typically allows governments to mobilize resources and coordinate a broader response to a crisis. In Fiji’s case, it reflects the urgency officials attach to slowing the rise in infections.

The intertwining of a drug epidemic with a rise in HIV cases points to a complex situation in which addressing one problem may require confronting the other. The reporting identifies meth as a key driver of the epidemic rather than an isolated issue.

As Fiji moves forward under the emergency declaration, the focus falls on how the country will respond to both the spread of HIV and the underlying crystal meth epidemic that officials say is helping to fuel it.