UNFPA Launches two-year Campaign to Fight Obstetric Fistula in Sub-Saharan Africa

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia—The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) today announced the launch of a two-year campaign to fight obstetric fistula in 12 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Obstetric fistula is the most devastating of all pregnancy-related disabilities and affects about 50,000-100,000 African women each year. The launch of the campaign marked the conclusion of a meeting with over 60 reproductive health care experts on the incidence of obstetric fistula, which took place in Addis Ababa this week.

The UNFPA-sponsored campaign will focus on both the prevention and treatment of obstetric fistulas. It will seek to raise awareness within communities on the causes and consequences of obstetric fistulas, equip medical centres with essential supplies and train medical personnel to perform surgeries and provide post-operative care. Countries include Benin, Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

An obstetric fistula is an injury to the pelvic organs that most often occurs when a very young, poor girl experiences a long and obstructed labour, sometimes up to five days. With no access to medical care, the girl suffers extensive tissue damage to her birth canal and the baby usually dies. The tissue damage, caused by the pressure of the baby's head against her pelvis, creates a hole between the vagina and the bladder or rectum. As a result, the girl suffers from a constant leakage of urine or feces and is often subject to humiliation, shame and forced to live in isolation.

Malnutrition, stunted growth, limited access to health care and traditions of early marriage and pregnancy all contribute to the likelihood of obstructed labour. It is estimated that more than 2 million women are living with obstetric fistulas today and prevalence is highest in impoverished communities in Africa and Asia. Fistulas were once widespread in Europe and North America, but were eradicated in the early 1900s through modern medical care.

"UNFPA hopes that this campaign will help to eventually make fistulas as rare in Africa as they are in other parts of the world," said Thoraya Obaid, UNFPA Executive Director. "Women deserve the right to live in dignity and to live their lives to their full potential. They deserve the right to have healthy pregnancies and to give birth safely. This campaign will help to make that a reality."

Obstetric fistulas are both preventable and treatable. Postponing childbirth, alleviating poverty and malnutrition, providing women with access to quality medical care during pregnancy and childbirth, and to emergency obstetric care should complications arise, are all measures to prevent fistula. An estimated 17 million young women between the ages of 15 and 19 give birth each year, increasing their risk of complications.

Reconstructive surgery can be performed to treat fistula patients, even if the woman has been suffering from the condition for several years. The success rate is between 88 - 93 per cent and the woman can often have more children.

"The cost of reconstructive surgery is only $350," said Dr. Naren Patel, vice-president of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. "The tragic part is that most young women living with fistulas today are either unaware that treatment is available or cannot afford the surgery."

During the two-year campaign, UNFPA will provide financial and technical support to existing fistula treatment centres in the 12 selected countries. During the three-day meeting in Addis Ababa, experts reviewed reports on the prevalence of obstetric fistulas in each country and analysed the specific needs of existing medical facilities. Based on findings, it was decided that each of the countries urgently needed support to help train additional doctors and nurses, purchase essential supplies and equipment or upgrade facilities and services.

"This is an incredible initiative because it directly responds to the urgent need for increased medical services to treat women suffering from fistulas," said Dr. Catherine Hamlin, founder and director of the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, a renowned centre that has treated more than 20,000 women over the last 28 years. "Right now there are few medical centres in Africa that can perform fistula surgery and those that do exist cannot meet the demand for care."

Two countries in particular, Nigeria and Chad, were selected to receive additional support through the campaign in order to transform existing facilities into fully functioning fistula centres, similar to the one in Addis Ababa. The centre in Addis performs an average of 1,200 surgeries each year and provides comprehensive rehabilitation and counselling to patients to help young girls return to a normal life after surgery.

Contact Information:

Micol Zarb
Tel.: +1 212 297 5042
Email: zarb@unfpa.org