Report Shows Bleak Progress in Improving African Women’s Health

Report Shows Bleak Progress in Improving African Women’s Health: LONDON — Women are responsible for up to 80 percent of all food production in Africa, but they bear a disproportionately large share of the global burden of disease and death, according to a World Health Organization report launched in London on Friday, coinciding with International Women’s Day.

“The African region is making very slow progress towards improved women's health," said Dr. Luis Gomes Sambo, World Health Organization's director for Africa.

WHO's new report, “Addressing the Challenges of Women’s Health in Africa,” surveys a range of statistical information about women’s health in Africa, and the picture it paints is bleak.

Maternal mortality is a major concern. The region accounts for more than half of all maternal deaths worldwide. In sub-Saharan Africa a woman’s lifetime chance of dying as a result of childbirth is 1 in 42. Compare that to Europe, where the rate is about 1 in 2,900.