The maternal mortality ratio is unacceptably high in Africa. Forty per cent of all pregnancy-related deaths worldwide occur in Africa. On average, over 7 women die per 1,000 live births. About 22,000 African women die each year from unsafe abortion, reflecting a high unmet need for contraception. Contraceptive use among women in union varies from 50 per cent in the southern sub-region to less than 10 per cent in middle and western Africa" UNFPA
Early and unwanted childbearing, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and pregnancy-related illnesses and deaths account for a significant proportion of the burden of illness experienced by women in Africa. Gender-based violence is an influential factor negatively impacting on the sexual and reproductive health of one in every three women. Many are unable to control decisions to have sex or to negotiate safer sexual practices, placing them at great risk of disease and health complications.
According to UNAIDS, there is an estimated of 22.2 million people living with HIV in Sub-Saharan African in 2009, which represents 68% of the global HIV burden. Women are at higher risk than men to be infected by HIV, their vulnerability remains particulary high in the Sub-Saharan Africa and 76% of all HIV women in the world live in this region.
In almost all countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa region, the majority of people living with HIV are women, especially girls and women aged between 15-24. Not only are women more likely to become infected, they are more severely affected. Their income is likely to fall if an adult man loses his job and dies. Since formal support to women are very limited, they may have to give up some income-genrating activities or sacrifice school to take care of the sick relatives.
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Many women living with HIV are being denied their rights to inherit family property by their relatives.
Source: Tanzania Daily News
Health workers in Tanzania have been advised to provide quality services to pregnant mothers in a bid to reduce maternal deaths, caused by some mothers seeking services of traditional healers.
Source: The New Times
There are disturbing reports that some HIV positive women are denied the right to inherit family property by their relatives. This information is from research carried out by Women's Network for Rural Development with support from UN Women.
Zimbabwe's ambitious plan to offer an HIV test to every household in the country is not yet under way but is already being met with scepticism by activists who feel this is not a priority for the country, especially with global HIV/AIDS funding on the decline.
"I would like to use contraception, but my husband is against it," says Bintou Moussa*. The 32-year-old mother has just given birth to her sixth child at the Abobo General Hospital in Cote d’Ivoire’s commercial capital Abidjan.
Source: The Guardian - Poverty Matters Blog
Deaths in childbirth would drop further if the bank cut fees and expanded grants in its spending on reproductive health
Source: New Vision
The Parliament's committee on national economy has rejected a proposal to borrow $30.28m (sh75.7b) for financing the construction of a specialized women hospital for maternal and neonatal health care at Mulago hospital.
Source: PlusNews
The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised women on injectable hormonal birth control to use condoms to prevent HIV infection in light of possible HIV risks associated with "the shot", but HIV organizations and activists say this has not been effectively communicated to women.
Source: PlusNews
Condoms are widely promoted as one of the most effective ways of preventing the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, but a recent study has found that incorrect use of condoms is common and affects their effectiveness.
A senior United Nations official and the renowned singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo today urged all UN Member States and communities to outlaw female genital mutilation (FGM) and raise awareness about its harmful effects, especially in African countries where the practice is most prevalent.
Source: Tanzania Daily News
ORAH Antony (not her real name) is a student at Mangi Sabbas Secondary School in Moshi rural district, Kilimanjaro region.