Maternal, Sexual and Reproductive Health

• Universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights is a key element of achieving the Sustainable Development goals, particularly goals 3 and 5.
• WHO estimates that poor reproductive health accounts for up to 18% of the global burden of disease, and 32% of the total burden of disease for women of reproductive age.
• Global progress towards universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights has been slowest in the African region.
• The adult lifetime risk of a woman dying from pregnancy complications has been estimated to be highest in Africa (1 in 26), compared to 1 in 7,300 in developed countries.
• The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in Africa was estimated at 525 deaths per 1000 live births in 2017 compared to the global target of 140 maternal deaths per live births.
• Approximately 25.7 million people are living with HIV in the African region and 1.1 million new infections were recorded in 2018.
• STIs can lead to severe consequences such as foetal and neonatal death, cervical cancer, increased HIV risk, infertility among others.
• About 16 million girls aged 15 to 19 years, most of whom are in LMICs, give birth every year. Complications during pregnancy and childbirth are the second cause of death for 15-19 year-old girls globally.