[pronut-hiv] PanAfrica: Maternal, Child Deaths On the Rise, Say Experts

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PanAfrica: Maternal, Child Deaths On the Rise, Say Experts
The East African Standard (Nairobi)

June 26, 2006
Richard Chesos
Nairobi

Cases of maternal and child deaths have increased drastically in
Africa, despite commitments by governments to reverse the trend.

Speaking at a workshop in Nairobi, health experts accused African
governments of paying lip service to maternal and child health. They
said of the 600,000 women who die from pregnancy-related causes across
the world annually, half are from Africa. The number, they said, was
high given that Africa constitutes only 12 per cent of the world's
population.

The five-day workshop, held at the Stanley Hotel, will discuss
integration services on family planning, prevention of mother-to-child
transmission of HIV/Aids, malaria in pregnancy and nutrition. The forum
is organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Participants are
drawn from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal,
Swaziland, Zambia, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Congo, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia.

In a speech read by Dr Joyce Lavussa, WHO Kenya representative, Dr
Peter Eriki, expressed fears that Africa might not meet the Millennium
Development Goals on health by 2015.

"Very few years are remaining and yet only a handful of countries in
Africa are on track," he said.

The countries are expected to reduce child mortality significantly,
improve maternal health and combat HIV/Aids and malaria, among other
diseases. Eriki, however, praised governments that have implemented the
African Road Map to Accelerate the Reduction of Maternal and Newborn
Morbidity launched two years ago.

The strategy has been adopted by the African Union to guide its members
in maternal and child health. Eriki said integration of health services
leads to effective and efficient management of the entire health
system.

"The health worker needs to have the knowledge and skills to provide an
appropriate package of services," he said.

Eriki said strengthening of linkages in health and nutrition services
helped in the fight against HIV/Aids. He said cases of malaria increased
with HIV/Aids prevalence, hence the need to integrate efforts towards
fighting the disease.

Malaria is the leading killer of children below five years of age.
Pregnant women are also vulnerable to the disease, which constitutes 10
per cent of the overall disease burden in Africa. Eriki said lack of
health workers was also a major challenge facing the fight against
diseases in Africa.