Sit down with your children, share stories and talk openly to them about HIV and AIDs at home.

This is a message for parents in the rural areas from the Interim Health Minister Doctor Jiko Luveni who said parents should closely supervise their children and monitor their pleasure trips and outings so that casual physical relationships are avoided at all cost.

Doctor Luveni while speaking to villagers, community leaders and government officials in the Navosa region yesterday called them to take charge of their children's activities as she said a lot of young people are now indulging in alcohol, drugs and engaging in casual sex.

She said young people are Fiji's future and people should work hard to educate them about the dangers of HIV/AIDs. Doctor Luveni said this disease is derived from a change in how things are normally done and the way people no longer believe in what is treasured as moral values.

The doctor said Indigenous Fijians make up 81% of the 259 cases of HIV/AIDS cases in Fiji. While sharing stories with the villagers, Dr Luveni said that she has also been in situations where she had to participate in counseling sessions for families of HIV/AIDS patients.