2,476 Ugandan girls below 15 years are pregnant – report

A total of 2,476 girls under the age of 15 have attended their first antenatal care (ANC) visit from various health facilities across the country in the last 12 months, this publication has established.

According to data from the Uganda Health Information System, an additional 1,755 girls in the same age bracket delivered in different facilities scattered across Uganda.

Teenage pregnancy can result in health complications during pregnancy and childbirth, and it increases the likelihood of poverty and limited opportunities later in life.

The data reveals that 52 of the girls who became pregnant in the last 12 months were from Lango sub-region. Oyam District in northern Uganda has 10 cases of teenage pregnancies, followed by Apac and Amolatar with 8 cases each.

Lira City and Kole District both have 6 cases, while Lira District, Kwania, Otuke, Alebtong, and Dokolo have 4, 3, 2, 2, and 3 cases respectively.

Dr Carline Agaro, the Oyam Assistant District Health Officer (DHO), confirmed that in the last 12 months, a total of 10 girls under the age of 15 visited their health facilities for their first antenatal care (ANC) visit.

“50 per cent of these girls were from Kamdini sub-county, with three of the five girls being attended to at Zambia Health Centre II and the other two at Aber Hospital. Others were registered in Loro, Acaba, Iceme, and Minakulu sub-counties,” she said.

The data further reveals that 79 girls under 15 delivered from various health facilities in the last 365 days.

Amolatar had the highest number of cases at 25, followed by Oyam with 19, Alebtong had 15 cases, Lira City had 10 cases, Apac had four, Kole had three, Lira District had two, Dokolo had one, while Kwania and Otuke recorded zero cases of teenage pregnancies.

Dr Agaro warned that engaging in sexual activities at a young age is dangerous, both morally and scientifically, as their bodies are not ready for childbirth.

It is also worth noting that many girls and women continue to deliver from home, with some of these deliveries not captured in the national system.

The official data captured in the Health ministry system shows that 6,020 girls aged 15-19 whose bodies are not yet developed to hold babies conceived.  And 7,321 girls aged 20-24 who are expected to be in school visited health facilities for their first ANC.

Maternal death

At least 1,096 deaths related to pregnancy were reported by VHTs in Lango, of these 539 cases were from Lira District, followed by Kole with 348 cases, Dokolo; 74, Oyam; 62, Amolatar; 28, Kwania; 20, Otuke; 13, Alebtong; 11, Apac; 01 and Lira City reported zero cases.

Mr Benson Ongom, the Oyam District inspector of schools, said that teenage pregnancy is one of the contributing factors to girls dropping out of school before completing their education cycle.

Dr Brain Ogutu, the Oyam District councillor, blamed the growing teenage pregnancies in Uganda on parents and members of the community.

“When parents allow their underage daughter to be married off or engage in sexual activities, they are fighting with the future of their home and Uganda. Therefore, it is essential to work on changing the mindset of the community,” he said.

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