Apology for delay!
WHERE WOMEN DIE GIVING BIRTH" has been issued.
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In Afghanistan, an astonishing number of women—25,000—die from obstetric causes each year.
One woman dies every 27 minutes. Afghanistan has the second highest maternal mortality rate in the world, after only Sierra Leone.
The national maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in Afghanistan was 1,900 per 100,000 live births, according to a 2000 UN report, compared with 17 in the United States. Furthermore, Ragh district in Badakshan province in Afghanistan has the highest
MMR recorded in human history: 6,500.
Hemorrhaging and obstructed labor were among the direct causes of deaths, while indirect causes included tuberculosis, malaria, and obstetric tetanus. According to a 2002 survey of Afghan women who died postpartum, conducted by Dr. Linda Bartlett, 94% died within 42 days. Fifty-six percent of those women died in the first 24 hours My photo reportage on Afghan’s maternal mortality tells a story of a young woman, Qamar, who already had tuberculosis and later died of complications two weeks after the delivery in Badakshan province. Her death could have been prevented if proper family
planning and prenatal healthcare were provided. None of the family members knew she had suffered serious tuberculosis. My story follows her from the hospital, when she was recovering from her delivery, to the funeral in her village. Through this journey, I documented how a woman could lose her life from such unbelievable causes.
Reducing the maternal mortality is a human rights issue for women and children. My report through one woman’s story exemplifies that low socioeconomic status and lack of education among women can have considerable effects on maternal death in Afghanistan.
WHERE WOMEN DIE GIVING BIRTH - all images and text are copyrighted to Jean Chung
