Q & A: Why are Stillbirths still Societal Taboo?

There are nearly two million stillbirths every year. Credit: UNSPLASH/Claudia WolffBy Samira SadequeUNITED NATIONS, Oct 26 2020 (IPS) Societal taboo and a lack of understanding about stillbirth  can cause the issue to be neglected among health practitioners, according to Dr. Danzhen You, a senior adviser on Data and Analytics at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). She shared her insight with IPS after a U.N. high-level meeting organised to raise awareness and to end preventable stillbirths last week. There are nearly two million stillbirths every year, according to a joint statement released ahead of the event by UNICEF, the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the World Bank Group and the Population Division of the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. At the talk, WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for an end to the stigma surrounding stillbirths and for higher investments to prevent them. In the last 20 years, he said, 14 countries, including Cambodia, India and Mongolia have been able to reduce their stillbirth rate by more than half. But this growth regressed because of the coronavirus pandemic. With reference to the mothers who suffer from stillbirth, he said: “They need support, not shame.” Christine Wangechi from Kenya, who suffered a stillbirth last year, said during her trauma, she was not aware that there are other women who had similar experiences. She said her experience was very “silent” and that she ho...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Development & Aid Featured Global Headlines Health IPS UN: Inside the Glasshouse TerraViva United Nations Stillbirths United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Source Type: news