Ho, Feb. 24, GNA - Volta Region's teenage pregnancy rate has declined from 13.5 percent in 2007 to 12.9 percent in 2009 and has remained stable. This is due to health promotion, behavioural change, communication and the campaign to get children of school going age especially girls in school. Dr. Winfred Ofosu, the Kpando District Director of Health, said this at a reproductive and health and HIV and AIDS sensitization workshop organized by the Volta Regional Health Directorate for the media in Ho on Tuesday. He commended the media and other stakeholders for the success and urged them to help sensitize pregnant women against delaying in attending antenatal clinic so as to avoid complications.

"Maternal mortality is also declining gradually but we need to campaign to reduce it from the current 1.5 per cent to 0.5 per cent by 2015 to meet the Millennium Development Goals," he said. Dr. Ofosu also urged Traditional Birth Attendants to refer complicated pregnancies early to health facilities to avoid deaths. He said the region recorded a total of 2,634 cases of abortion in 2009. Dr. Ofosu said 66.1 percent of those abortions were spontaneous and 33.8 percent induced.

He said the abortion situation in the region constituted one of the major causes of maternal deaths which needed urgent action. He said in spite of all challenges the Regional Health Directorate was making great efforts such as the establishment of district ambulance services to improve health service delivery and called for the support of all stakeholders.

Mr Joe Degley, the Reg ional HIV and AIDS Coordinator, said the region's HIV prevalence had dropped from 3.5 in 2004 to 1.7 in 2008 and said the Directorate hoped to reduce it further by minimizing stigma through socialization and the opening of Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) centres in all districts in the region. He said the Directorate was also considering the continuation of the "know your status campaign."