Abuse of women common during ‘childbirth’: report

US STD cases at record high

JOHANNESBURG, Oct 9, (Agencies): A new report says more than one-third of women in four low-income countries in Africa and Asia were slapped, mocked, forcibly treated or otherwise abused during childbirth in health centers and suggests that such mistreatment occurs worldwide.

The study published Wednesday in The Lancet medical journal says women in Nigeria, Myanmar, Ghana and Guinea also experienced high rates of cesarean sections and surgical cuts to the vagina, or episiotomies, without their consent - and often without a painkiller.

“Mistreatment during childbirth can amount to a violation of human rights, and could be a powerful disincentive from seeking facilitybased maternity care,” the study said in a discussion of similar research.

The new study led by the World Health Organization followed more than 2,000 women during labor and interviewed more than 2,600 women after childbirth.

Discrimination

Some 42% reported physical or verbal abuse or discrimination during childbirth. Some women were punched, shouted at, scolded or forcibly held down. Younger, lesseducated women are at risk of such mistreatment which also includes neglect by health workers or the use of force during procedures, the study said.

Most of the abuse occurred in the 15 minutes before and during childbirth. The study cited research that found that “midwives and doctors described women as ‘uncooperative’ during this period and some justified using physical and verbal abuse as ‘punishment.’”

Health officials say the mistreatment of women during childbirth appears to be global, including in developed countries. But the practices are rarely documented and women often fear reporting such violations. Previous reports have documented physical abuse of women in eastern Europe, particularly those of Roma descent, including instances where women are forcibly separated from their newborns for several days.

Abusive practices during maternal care have also been widely reported across Latin America, where Venezuela became the first country to legislate against specific unethical practices by adopting a law to ban so-called “obstetric violence” in 2007.

Among the 2,016 women observed in the new study, 13% of the cesarean sections and 75% of the surgical cuts to the vagina were performed without consent. In 59% of cases, vaginal examinations were performed without consent.

“Younger, unmarried women were more likely to have non-consented vaginal examinations,” the study said.

Of the 2,672 women interviewed after childbirth, more than half or 57% said they had not been offered any relief for pain.

Some women were then detained afterward at the health centers for not being able to pay the bill.

The study suggested allowing women to have a companion of their choice present during childbirth, improving the informed consent process and redesigning maternity wards to improve privacy.

STD:

The number of Americans who were diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) last year rose to a record high, US health officials said on Tuesday, partly because funding for local health departments has dropped.

Nearly 2.46 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and other STDs were reported in 2018, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a report. The total includes some 1,300 cases of congenital syphilis in newborns.

The rate of infection climbed steadily between 2014 and 2018, resulting in a 71% jump in the number of syphilis cases, a 63% increase in gonorrhea and a 19% rise in chlamydia during that period.

Budget cuts at the state and local level resulting in staff reductions, clinic closures, less screening and patient follow-up has accounted for the increased disease rates, in addition to decreased condom use, health officials said.

“The resurgence of syphilis, and particularly congenital syphilis, is not an arbitrary event, but rather a symptom of a deteriorating public health infrastructure and lack of access to health care,” Gail Bolan, the CDC’s director of STD Prevention, said in the report.

Antibiotics can cure chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis, but many people fail to get screened and treated for the diseases.

The CDC’s annual STD prevention budget decreased in purchasing power by 40% from 2003 to 2018, according to data released by the National Coalition of STD Directors, an association of local health officials. The CDC’s financial data was first consolidated into the U.s. Health and Human Services financial reports in 2003.

Half of STD cases occur in people between the ages of 15 and 24 years old and can lead to health complications including infertility and increased risk of contracting HIV.

Also: WASHINGTON:

The death toll topped 22 in the United States from lung illness linked to vaping after a teenager died.

The 17-year-old Bronx boy was the first person in New York State to die from vaping-related illness, Fox Business Network reported on Tuesday, citing US health centers.

The victim died at Montefiore Medical Center on Friday, days after he was admitted at the end of September, according to the report.

Earlier this month, he was hospitalized for vaping-related illness, and was one of 110 New Yorkers, ages 14 to 69, to be sickened by the e-cigarettes, officials said.

“There have been about now 19 vaping deaths in this nation,” Fox Business Network quoted Cuomo as saying at a press conference.