HIV/AIDS maternal deaths on the decline

Maranyane Ngwanaamotho | Wednesday April 30, 2014 11:42

The report states that HIV and AIDS related maternal deaths dropped to 1.4 percent of all maternal deaths in 2012 from 10.2 percent in 2008.

The Botswana Maternal Mortality Ratio report indicates that the most common cause of maternal mortality in 2012 was immediate postpartum haemorrhage, or excessive bleeding, with 12 cases, followed by gestational pregnancy induced hypertension with seven cases each.

The report shows that 14 maternal deaths arose from different types of abortions such as failed attempts, incomplete and unspecified as well as accompanying complications.

“In 2012 there was only one case of an HIV/AIDS related disease attributing to maternal deaths,” the report said.

“This further indicates that the HIV pandemic has been dropping since 2010 due to interventions in place.”

The interventions largely revolve around the rollout of full ARV therapy by government and its civic society partners as well as the Prevention-of-Mother-To-Child-Transmission programme introduced in 1999.

Of the total 74 maternal deaths in 2012, the highest number, 20, were reported among age groups 30-34 years, followed by ages 20-24, 25-29 and 35-39 which each recorded 15 deaths. Only one maternal death was recorded among women aged above 45 years. The Botswana Maternal Mortality Ratio also indicates that there were 49,957 institutional births in 2012.

Most births (61.6%) occurred in general hospitals, compared to 19.2 and 19.1 percent in primary hospitals and clinics respectively.

“It is quite evident that most mothers delivered in health facilities than at home,” said the report.

“The overall average length of stay at an institution was 6.8 days, which is skewed towards hospitals as they often handle complicated referral cases.”

Born-before-arrival babies, or those brought to health facilities after delivery, accounted for four percent of births in 2012 compared to 4.3 in 2011.

Non-institutional births, or home deliveries, accounted for 0.2 percent of births in 2012.

“Gantsi district continued to report the highest non-institutional births, recording 40 births and accounting for 44 percent of all non institutional births,” the report noted. Gantsi was followed by Okavango with 33 home births, Mabutsane with 17 births and Charleshill with one.