Meru records 7,863 teen pregnancies in six months!
Meru Health Records Officer Robert Kinoti during a reproductive health review meeting in Meru town on August 20, 2021. The county recorded close to 8,000 teenage pregnancies between January and June this year.
What you need to know:
- Meru County has maintained a high number of teenage pregnancies with data from the Health department showing that 7,863 pregnant girls aged between 10 and 19 were recorded between January and June this year.
- The numbers are higher than 5,274 cases recorded during the same period last year.
Meru County has maintained a high number of teenage pregnancies and health officials are now calling for special focus on elimination of defilement and teen mothers.
Health Services Chief Officer Dr James Kirimi has called for stakeholder engagement to seek solutions.
“The high number of pregnancies even in children below 14 years is worrying. These girls should be in school and we have a lot of work to do as a community to reduce this trend,” Dr Kirimi said.
Data from the Health department shows that 7,863 pregnant girls aged between 10 and 19 were recorded between January and June this year. Out of these, 698 are aged below 14 years.
The numbers are higher than 5,274 cases recorded during the same period last year.
The Kenya Health Information System (KHIS) shows Nairobi, Kakamega, Homa Bay, Kajiado, Nakuru, Narok, Bungoma, Meru, Trans Nzoia and Kiambu are the teen pregnancy hotspots in the country.
Between January and June last year, Nairobi recorded the highest numbers at 11, 795 followed by Kakamega at 6,686 and Homa Bay 5, 961.
Last year, more than 14,500 cases were recorded in Meru, accounting for 38 per cent of all pregnant girls in the county.
Antenatal care
Speaking during a reproductive health services review meeting, Meru Chief Health Records and Information Management Officer Robert Kinoti said 23,521 mothers sought antenatal care between January and June.
“Close to 70 per cent of pregnant women who visited health facilities in Igembe South were aged between 10 and 19 years. This is a big number. The percentage of pregnant teens in the county remains at 38 per cent,” Mr Kinoti said.
He said April 2021, saw the highest number of adolescents attending antenatal care clinics at 63 per cent of all pregnant women.
During the same period, 64 teenagers sought post abortion care services out of 1,690 abortions recorded in the county. At the same time, the health facilities in Meru captured 57 rape cases
Dr Kirimi also raised concern over low uptake of antenatal care services, affecting the health of expectant mothers.
