Eastern Region records 4,729 teenage pregnancies

Koforidua, Aug. 25, GNA - About 4,729 teenagers between 10 to 19 years were impregnated in the Eastern Region between January and June, this year.

Sixty-three of the teenagers were between 10 to 14 years. Madam Ellen Asare, a Senior Nursing Officer in-charge of Reproductive Health at the Eastern Regional Health Directorate, disclosed this to the GNA at Koforidua.

She said the statistics was "Most worrying and should serve as a wake-up call on society to protect teenagers from being made pregnant." Madam Asare said the figures could be much higher because most of the teenagers felt shy and were reluctant to seek early health care attention and might not have been included in the data available at health facilities in the region.

She said Kwaebibirem District recorded the highest of 492 teenage pregnancies, and Asuogyaman District had the lowest of 99 teenage pregnancies.

Madam Asare attributed the situation to parental neglect in the Ghanaian society and appealed to parents not to shirk their responsibilities to their children. Other factors she identified included poverty, peer pressure, lack of control and direction among adolescents. On peer pressure, Madam Asare called for the establishment of adolescent clubs, a network through which teenagers were imbued with core values to move them away from vices that would affect their development.

She stressed the need to intensify education on adolescents' sexual reproductive rights and make relevant information accessible to them to move away from temptations.