Chronicle Editor
Michael Magoronga, Midlands Correspondent
THE country has been grappling to contain teenage pregnancies and child marriages lately.
The death of Anna Machaya (14) while giving birth at a shrine in Marange, Manicaland province saw Government, children’s rights groups and activists springing into action looking at ways to end the scourge.
Health experts have also added their voices and issued a warning against early sexual debut and getting pregnant at an early age.
This comes after reports of cases of children, most of them under the age of 16, either falling pregnant or getting married.
Obstetrician Dr Chinamora Mutevhe said there were so many challenges faced by girls who fall pregnant prematurely, both socially and health wise.
“There are so many complications that are faced by young girls who start getting sexually active at an early age.
Firstly, the baby might not grow properly as it will be competing with the mother for nutrients whilst in the body.
This might lead to the baby being born smaller than the normal baby,” explained Dr Mutevhe.
He said surgery is unavoidable under such circumstances.
“The body of the mother will still be small for the baby to be delivered normally, we have to carry out a caesarian.
Given the cost of operation and circumstances, some might fail to meet the costs and eventually either the mother or the baby or both die due to complications,” he said.
He said some babies are born prematurely thereby affecting the baby or the mother in the process.
He said some girls also lack discipline during pregnancy and start abusing alcohol and smoking.
“There are some cases whereby the girls indulge in drinking and the baby will get what is called fetal alcohol syndrome,” he said.
Health expert and former health minister, Dr Henry Madzorera weighed in saying the girls will still be premature physically hence a number of challenges arise.
“They end up with vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) whereby urine will be leaking because a hole has developed between their genital tract and the bladder,” said Dr Madzorera.
He said the problem may last for a lifetime unless an operation is carried out to mend the hole.
“This is a problem which can be a lifetime problem if one is not operated on. The person will be smelling of urine and blood always and imagine what that does to the person socially,” he said.
He also warned of cancer of the cervix.
“Conformationally, these will still be children and their cervix will still be small. They are therefore more prone to the human papilloma virus which can easily lead to the cancer of the cervix,” he said.
The two health experts also concurred that the teenage girls have higher chances of contracting sexually transmitted diseases.
During a recent national symposium, participants agreed that there was need for an alignment to the country’s legal framework, regarding the age of consent and the minimum age of marriage.
According to the current constitution, 16 years is the age of consent while 18 is the minimum age of getting married.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter