A Long and Uncertain Journey: Pregnancy in Sub-Saharan Africa

Description

Join Anne Wallis (PhD '03, MHS '97), a reproductive epidemiologist and associate professor at the University of Louisville, for a conversation on maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa and hear what she and her team are doing to combat maternal death and boost infant health. Learn more about the speaker online.

For millions of women, pregnancy is a time of uncertainty, not celebration. While women in high-income countries may attend baby showers and gender-reveal parties, too many women in low-income settings embark on a long and often uncertain journey through pregnancy. Public health clinics in many parts of rural sub-Saharan Africa lack adequate staff, medical technology, and sanitation resources. In these settings, even the best providers are not able to give expectant and new mothers the care they need to thrive and survive. With minimal financial resources and little access to transportation, rural women often forego formal maternity care. Other problems include infectious disease, becoming pregnant at a very young age, abuse, sex trafficking, and war.

This "Spotlight Series" event is hosted by the Bloomberg School of Public Health.