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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Kenyan parliamentarians have been meeting in Nairobi since Monday to discuss how they can best support the improvement of women’s and children’s health.
Source: IRIN
AIDS activists have welcomed a pledge by US President Barack Obama to provide antiretroviral treatment to some six million people globally by 2013, an increase of two million on the previous target.
An International expert on Women’s and Health Specialist has spoken out on the topic in the number of deaths occurring worldwide from maternal mortality. “It is a human rights violation because most countries in the world had signed to the United Nations declaration on the right to life,” says Ottowa, Canada based Dr. Andre Lalonde, former executive vice-president of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada.
ARV treatment is a crucial health intervention and every effort must be made to increase coverage. However, other reproductive health services continue to be neglected, with dire consequences for women.
Source: The Citizen
As Tanzania joined the rest of the world to mark this year's World Aids Day on Thursday, some two million women across the country had every reason to celebrate the day.
Source: Myjoyonline
The International Planned Parenthood Federation, the global movement that promotes reproductive health says by 2030 HIV AIDS infections would have drastically reduced to the levels of polio infections today which has almost been eradicated.
South African government has chosen World AIDS Day 2011 to launch its new national strategic plan that, for the first time, will guide not only the national fight against HIV but also tuberculosis (TB) until 2016. The document contains several major policy changes, including the immediate provision of lifelong antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to all HIV-positive mothers and TB patients, as well as a focus on positive prevention.
Running a deficit as high as US$6 billion and forced to cancel its latest round of funding, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria is at a crossroads, and a far cry from where it started.
This week, the world marked World AIDS Day whose 2011 theme was “Getting to Zero.” AWID explores some of the themes that have either come to the fore or persisted since the last World AIDS Day 2010, and which affect women’s getting to zero.
Source: Women E-News
It's an odd question to ask Hillary Clinton, the Obama administration's champion for global women's reproductive rights. But where were the women in her "AIDS-free generation" speech two weeks ago? World AIDS Day is a good time to ask.
Source: SABC
The Health minister Aaron Motsoaledi says the treatment and care of HIV positive people in South Africa will not be affected if the Global Fund goes ahead with the cancellation of grants for AIDS programmes in Africa.