Roe vs. Wade: US prevarication poses threat to sub-Saharan Africa

Roe vs. Wade is a well-publicized decision of the US Supreme Court in January 1973 in which the court ruled 7-2 that the US constitution protects the liberty of a pregnant woman to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction1. Since then, various governments and States in the United States have applied this decision rather inconsistently, and indeed, abortion has become one of the most controversial issues in US political history2. In early May 2022, this prevarication reached its zenith when a leaked document showed that the US Supreme Court might be contemplating reversing itself on its former decision, and thereby limit women's rights to safe abortion3. If this happens, it would mean that abortion could instantly become illegal in 26 out of the 50 US States. This possibility could be reached as early as June or early July 2022. The implications of restrictive abortion law in 26 American States would not be difficult to contemplate. It would mean a major reversal of the gains in women's health and social well-being that have been achieved over the past decades, something that should be unthinkable for a major developed and exemplary country like the US. In truth, restrictive abortion laws have never been known to reduce women's desire to seek induced abortion, anywhere. It only makes the procedure more difficult to access and therefore more dangerous and unsafe for women. What the change in the law therefore means is that women requiring pregnancy termination would have to travel to other States in the US or possibly outside the country to seek safe abortion care, resulting in untold hardships. It would re-enact the case of another developed country like Romania that witnessed severe hardships and increased mortality of women after abortion became legally restricted in 1967 under President Nicolae Ceausescu4. The situation changed from 1990 when the restriction on abortion was lifted following the Romania revolution.

Roe vs. Wade conundrum: Africa must increase commitment to sexual and reproductive health and rights

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Assessment of infection control practices in maternity units in Southern Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE: Puerperal sepsis accounts for 12% of maternal deaths in Nigeria. To date, little is known about the background hospital factors that predispose pregnant women to puerperal infection that leads to mortality. The objective of this study was to investigate the nature and pattern of existing policies and practices relating to infection control in maternity care centres in Edo state, South-South Nigeria. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study consisting of in-depth interviews with service providers, observation of clinical practices and examination of medical records. SETTING: Public and private health-care facilities in eight local government areas (LGAs) selected from the three senatorial districts of Edo State, Nigeria. PARTICIPANTS: Health providers from 63 primary, secondary and tertiary maternity care centres. METHODS: Sixty-three health-care facilities were sampled from eight LGAs from the three senatorial districts in Edo State. Three pre-tested tools were adapted to the local setting and used to interview key informants in the health facilities and to observe for practices and records relating to infection control. RESULTS: Of the 63 health facilities, 68% (43) reported that they had infection control procedures in place, while only 25% (16) reported that they documented these as manuals or charts. Only 13% (8) of facilities had infection control committees; 11% (7) routinely carried out audits of maternal deaths, while 33% (21) reported that they had an ongoing programme for staff training on infection control. A high proportion of the health facilities reported that staff routinely wash their hands before and after sterile procedures, but only half of the facilities were observed to have 24-h running water and only two-thirds had soap and antiseptic solutions in delivery and operating theatre areas. Although more than 90% (57) of the health facilities reported that they use sterile gloves routinely, unused sterile gloves were found in only 60% (38) of these facilities, and recycled gloves in 11.1% (7). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest the need for improved record-keeping procedures, the development of appropriate policies and protocols for infection control and staff training on infection control in maternity care facilities in Edo State. A public health education and advocacy programme to create awareness on clean delivery places as an approach for reducing maternal morbidity and mortality and to build political will for implementing related activities is also urgently needed.

A case-control study of risk factors for male infertility in Nigeria / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>AIM</b>To evaluate the association between selected potential socio-demographic and behavioral risk factors and infertility in Nigerian men.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>There were two groups in this study. One group consisted of 150 men with proven male infertility, and the other consisted of 150 fertile men with normal semen parameters. Both were matched for age, place of residence and key socio-demographic variables. They were compared for sexual history, past medical and surgical history, past exposures to sexually transmitted infections and treatment, past and current use of drugs as well as smoking and alcohol intake history.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Infertile men were significantly more likely than fertile men to report having experienced penile discharge, painful micturition and genital ulcers, less likely to seek treatment for these symptoms and more likely to seek treatment with informal sector providers. Multivariate analysis showed that male infertility was significantly associated with bacteria in semen cultures, self-reporting of previous use of traditional medications and moderate to heavy alcohol intake, but not with smoking and occupational types.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>INFERTILITY is associated with various proxies of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and poor healthcare-seeking behavior for STIs in Nigerian men.</p>