Pretoria - There is an urgent need to significantly reduce the rate of teenage pregnancy, says KwaZulu-Natal's MEC for Health Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo.
"I believe that we need to substantially reduce the rate of pregnancy among 16-19 year olds and that there are ways to achieve this goal within five to ten years," he said.
Dhlomo, who had been visiting New Year babies and their mothers, made the comments after coming face to face with a 14-year-old who had just given birth to a baby girl at the GJ Crookes Hospital.
Teen pregnancy increased the risk of HIV infection and also raised the possibility of pregnancy complications that could lead to the death of a young mother and her baby, the MEC noted.
Teen pregnancy also increased the risk of infant morbidity and placed emotional and financial strain on the mother, Dhlomo added.
More information on the status of teenage pregnancy in KZN was crucial in promoting adolescent health, he said.
The MEC advised the teenage mothers he met to educate their peers about the difficulties of delivering a baby and being pregnant at that age.
Dhlomo also congratulated all mothers and welcomed the newest additions, saying they were prospective future leaders.
"Healthy mothers raise healthy children. Healthy children grow up stronger and better educated and help build more prosperous communities. And a health system that delivers for mothers and children will deliver for the whole community," he said.
In the first six hours on 2011, 38 babies were born in KZN. The first, a baby girl, arrived a minute past midnight at the Osindisweni Hospital in Verulem.
