The Catastrophic Impact of Pandemics on Women’s Happiness-WHO Chief

The continued disruption of women’s health services due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic “eradicates” more than 20 years of progress in lower maternal mortality and increased access to family planning in Latin America and the Caribbean. There is likely to be.

This was the view of Dr. Carissa Etienne, director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

“We want to spotlight the devastating health, social and economic consequences of this virus on women,” Etienne told reporters.

She said women were particularly affected by interruptions in reproductive and maternal health services.

“Under estimates by the United Nations, up to 20 million women in the Americas will suspend contraception during a pandemic because services are unavailable or women have lost the means to pay for contraception,” PAHO said. Said the director.

She said pregnancy and newborn care were also interrupted in almost half of the countries in the Americas.

At the same time, pregnant women are more vulnerable to respiratory infections such as COVID-19.

When they get sick, they tend to develop more serious symptoms that require intubation, which can endanger both the mother and the baby.

“If this continues, the pandemic is expected to wipe out more than 20 years of progress in women’s access to family planning and maternal mortality in the community,” said Etienne. “All maternal mortality. Is preventable and may even go back. Pandemic levels of already high maternal mortality can take 10 years or more. “

She told reporters at a weekly press conference that maternal mortality in Latin America and the Caribbean fell from 96 to 74 per 100,000 live births between 2000 and 2017, a total reduction of 23.1%. Told.

“We urge countries to do exactly that, that is, to act. The medical services women and girls need during the COVID response (sexual and reproductive health services, pregnancy and newborn care). You can start by making access to (and so on), “Etienne cautioned on the next International Action Day. About women’s health celebrated on May 28th.

“It must be remembered that the challenges and inequality faced before COVID were not resolved during the pandemic. They just got worse and cannot be overlooked. That is why we live women’s lives. We must make it a collective priority to protect, “she added.

Etienne also noted last week the World Health Organization (WHO) claim that COVID-19 casualties were seriously underreported.

“COVID’s true global 2020 death toll is close to 3 million, almost double the number reported last year. Worryingly, half of these deaths occur here in the Americas. It shows the great impact this pandemic has had on our region. “

Last week, more than 1.2 million new COVID-19 cases and 31,000 deaths were reported in the Americas.

“These numbers haven’t changed in the last few weeks, revealing a worrying trend. Cases and deaths have peaked at surprisingly high levels,” Etienne said.

“In fact, four of the five countries that reported the highest number of new infections last week are in our region, and Latin American countries represent the top five with the highest mortality rates in the world. I will. “

Increasing cases have been reported in Central American countries, such as Costa Rica, Panama, Belize and Honduras, where ICU bed capacity exceeds 80%.

In the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago have declared a national emergency following the recent outbreak of COVID-19. Cuba continues to report significant growth, with St. Vincent and the Grenadines still booming after people were moved to shelters due to recent volcanic eruptions. “We are also concerned about the increasing trend of hospitalizations in Haiti,” said Etienne.

In South America, new infections are declining in Chile, Peru and Paraguay. However, Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil have seen an increase in cases again after experiencing progress for several weeks. Bolivia has reported a dramatic increase in cases and deaths, and Guyana has experienced the highest number of cases and deaths since the pandemic began.