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.
For more information on HIV/AIDS and Reproductive health, please visit the following websites:
Source: Aidspan
AIDS Accountability International (AAI) has released a report on the participation levels of women, girls and groups marginalised by sexual orientation and gender identities (SOGI) on Africa’s country coordinating mechanisms (CCMs).
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have launched their Global Action Plan for Pneumonia and Diarrhoea, which aims to end preventable child deaths from these conditions by 2025. The launch was supported by the publication of a series of articles in the medical journal The Lancet showing that the tools to accomplish this goal already exist, and that the targets should be achievable at a reasonable cost.
Source: The Herald
THE Form Four pupil suspected to have been impregnated by a schoolboy from Phakamani High School who committed suicide this week has been admitted to Plumtree District Hospital after failing to handle the news surrounding her alleged boyfriend's death.
Source: Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation (Washington, DC)
For Immediate Release Contact: Racine Tucker — The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) welcomes Pres. Barack Obama's newly released budget, but is concerned that funding levels for global HIV/AIDS do not match longtime U.S. political commitments to ending the AIDS epidemic.
Source: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Seattle)
The Global Newborn Health Conference (#Newborn2013) taking place next week in Johannesburg, South Africa is an impressive indication of how far the newborn health agenda has come in the past decade.
Source: The Herald
GOVERNMENT is finalising logistics for scrapping user fees for pregnant women at district level, Health and Child Welfare Minister has said.
Source: Health-e (Cape Town)
A young mother here is enduring a lot of hardship while waiting for the Human Settlement Department to construct housing as part of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP).
Source: Irin
Despite the significant role midwives play in Uganda's maternal health programmes, they face numerous challenges, including lack of training, inadequate facilities and poor pay.
Source: Daily Trust
Continued clampdown on commercial sex workers, intravenous drug users (IDUs) and men who have sex with men in the FCT is hampering efforts to control the spread of HIV/AIDS, proponents lament.
Source: The Star
Girls from the rural are exposed to high risks of reproductive health issues compared to their counterparts in the urban. A research carried in most African countries has shown increased school dropouts among the girls in the rural linked to reproductive health issues and consequences of corrupting the sexual integrity.
Source: The New Vision
A 27-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly defiling his 10-year-old biological daughter and is being held at Fort Portal police station in Boma.