Thank you Lulu Oguda,
"Kenya has reported an increase in reported teenage pregnancies during the lockdown period that came to national attention."
This is corroborated by a new report from Reuters. Extracts below. Full texthttps://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-teenage-pregnancie...
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Teenage pregnancies rise in parts of Kenya as lockdown shuts schools
... Global lockdowns could lead to rising rates of adolescent pregnancy, non-governmental organisations working on reproductive health have warned.
In Kenya, some preliminary data suggests that is happening.
In the far northern town of Lodwar, teenage pregnancies among clients of the International Rescue Committee aid group nearly tripled to 625 in June-August this year, compared with 226 in the same period a year earlier, IRC data show.
In the nearby refugee camp of Kakuma, adolescent pregnancies among clients jumped to 51 in the March-August 2020 period, compared with 15 in the same period in 2019...
“Since COVID-19 started, we are having more,” said nurse Joy Ambiyo.
And more pregnant girls may be skipping doctors’ visits altogether.
“We know that young girls who get pregnant do not access healthcare services like adult females because of the judgment,” said Ademola Olajide, the United Nations Population Fund representative in Kenya.
That makes them more vulnerable to health complications and unsafe abortions, he added.
Globally, pregnancy and childbirth are the leading causes of death for girls aged between 15 and 19, according to the World Health Organization...
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Neil Pakenham-Walsh, HIFA Coordinator, neil@hifa.org www.hifa.org
