The increase in maternal mortality and HIV epidemic in Tigray region was reported.
The health office of the region has announced that the death of mothers and children has increased in the Tigray region, which has been in a war for more than two years.
Before the war, according to a study conducted by the Tigray Statistics Agency, 186 mothers lost their lives out of 100,000 live births.
Especially after the war, "out of 100,000 live births, 840 mothers will die," Tigray Region Health Office Head Dr. Emmanuel Haile told our site. They said that this is almost five times.
At the same time, 10 out of 1,000 newborns died. However, after the war, this number increased to 36. "The number of children under one year old and under five years old has doubled before and after the war," said Dr. Emmanuel Haile, head of the regional health office.
Special support is needed for the problems in the health sector in Tigray region. It does not mean that we will fold our hands and sit back, we will do our best.
Apart from this, he said that the lack of food in the region is serious.
"Recently, we conducted a study together with UNICEF to identify the food shortage in the district called Atsabi in the eastern zone of Tigray. In the district, 92 percent of pregnant and lactating mothers are exposed to food shortages, said Dr. Emmanuel. "I have never heard of such a number, it was 60 to 70 percent, if that is the case, it is very high, there is no place anywhere," he said.
Another issue they raised with Dr. Emmanuel was that the "sexual violence against many women" in the region has increased the spread of HIV.
They told us that before the war, the prevalence of the disease was around 1.43 percent. Dr. Emmanuel told us that there were about 46,000 HIV-AIDS patients and that after the war started and the peace agreement ended, about 10,000 of these patients disappeared.
Now this number has been reduced to 34 thousand and it has been stated that it is possible to know where they are and that they have returned to treatment. It is said that research has been started in Mekelle and Aksum cities to check whether the virus has been controlled or not.
"But there is a significant change from before," said Dr. Emanuel. We said that we should declare this as an epidemic.
Sexual violence during the war was mentioned as one of the reasons. "There is no question that the spread of HIV AIDS has increased" in the Tigray region, Dr. Emanuel said.
He also stated that awareness activities are being done with the temporary administration so that people can understand. It is said that attention is being paid to early diagnosis and treatment of women who are vulnerable to this disease and who have been sexually assaulted.
Dr. Emanuel said that studies will be studied, and the actual results will be announced. We asked them to tell us if the shortage of drugs in the region has affected HIV patients. They stated that the supply of medicine is "good". But they said there is a huge shortage of shipping.
"Earlier, HIV medicine was distributed to health workers in the region in less than a week, but now it will be delayed for more than a month," he said. that there were shortages of diagnostic kits and condoms in Tigray region; It is stated that there are some improvements at present.
by By the site reporter
2024-03-28
