African women are the backbone of their families and communities, but many face pressing health challenges that affect their well-being and quality of life. For example, Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest maternal mortality rate (MMR) globally: with 531 deaths per 100,000 live births compared to the global average of 211 (WHO, 2023).

African women face significant health challenges which are compounded by several factors as discussed below

·   Limited Access to Healthcare: Poverty, geographical barriers, and weak health systems limit women's access to preventive care, early diagnosis, and treatment for NCDs, HIV/AIDS, and malaria.

·   Gender Inequities: Gender norms and cultural practices can prevent women from seeking healthcare or prioritize the health of male family members over their own.

·   Lack of Awareness: Stigma and misinformation surrounding NCDs, HIV/AIDS, and malaria can hinder women from accessing necessary services.

·   Economic Vulnerability: Women often face economic constraints that limit their ability to afford healthcare or prioritise their health.

In this blog post, we will explore pressing health challenges faced by women in Africa and what can be done to address them.

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1. Maternal Mortality

Maternal mortality is the death of a woman during pregnancy, childbirth, or within 42 days of delivery. According to the World Health Organization, the maternal mortality ratio in the African Region in 2020 was estimated at 531 deaths per 100,000 childbirths. The countries with extremely high maternal mortality rates are South Sudan, followed by Chad, and then Nigeria.

The main causes of maternal mortality are severe bleeding, infections, unsafe abortion, hypertensive disorders, and obstructed labour. Many of these deaths could be prevented by ensuring access to quality antenatal care, skilled birth attendance, emergency obstetric care, and family planning services.

2. Anaemia

Anaemia is a condition in which the blood has a low level of haemoglobin, which carries oxygen to the tissues. Anaemia can cause weakness, fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, and increased susceptibility to infections. Anaemia is especially common among pregnant women, who need more iron to support the growth of their babies. Globally, about 468 million women aged 15–49 years (30% of all women) are thought to be anaemic, at least half because of iron deficiency, and most of these anaemic women live in Africa (48–57%).

Anaemia can be prevented and treated by increasing the intake of iron-rich foods, such as meat, eggs, beans, and green leafy vegetables, and taking iron supplements if needed.

3. HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS is a viral infection that attacks the immune system and can lead to AIDS, a syndrome that causes opportunistic infections and cancers. HIV/AIDS is a major public health problem in Africa, where 20.6 million people were living with HIV in 2020, accounting for 70% of the global total. HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects women in Africa, where they account for 66% of new adult infections and 59% of HIV-positive individuals. 1 in 5 women aged 15-49 in the region are living with HIV.

The main modes of transmission are heterosexual sex, mother-to-child transmission, and unsafe injections or blood transfusions.

HIV/AIDS can be prevented by practising safe sex, using condoms, testing and treating for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) if infected and preventing mother-to-child transmission through ART and safe delivery practices.

4. Malaria

Malaria is a parasitic disease that is transmitted by mosquitoes. Malaria causes fever, chills, headaches, muscle pain, and sometimes severe complications such as anaemia, cerebral malaria, and organ failure. Malaria is endemic in most parts of Africa, where it caused an estimated 384,000 deaths in 2019, accounting for 94% of the global total. Pregnant women and children under five years are particularly vulnerable to malaria, as it can cause miscarriage, low birth weight, premature delivery, and infant mortality.

Malaria can be prevented by sleeping under insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), wearing long-sleeved clothing and applying repellents, taking preventive drugs during pregnancy, and seeking prompt diagnosis and treatment if symptoms occur.

5. Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection that mainly affects the lungs but can also affect other organs. TB causes coughing, chest pain, weight loss, fever, and night sweats. TB is spread through the air when a person with active TB coughs or sneezes. TB is a leading cause of death among people living with HIV/AIDS in Africa, where it caused an estimated 417,000 deaths in 2019, accounting for 25% of the global total. Women are more likely to die from TB than men in Africa due to delays in seeking care, stigma and discrimination, a lack of access to services, and gender-based violence.

Tuberculosis can be prevented by improving ventilation and hygiene in crowded places, vaccinating children with the BCG vaccine, testing and treating people with latent TB infection, and providing ART to people living with HIV/AIDS.

6. Breast cancer

Breast cancer is a malignant tumour that develops from the cells of the breast tissue. Breast cancer can cause a lump or change in the shape or size of the breast, nipple discharge or inversion, skin dimpling or rash, pain or swelling in the breast or armpit,

and sometimes bone pain or weight loss if it spreads to other parts of the body.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide and the leading cancer killer among women aged 20–59 years. In Africa, breast cancer incidence and mortality are increasing due to population growth, ageing, urbanisation, westernisation of lifestyles and lack of awareness and screening.

Breast cancer can be prevented by avoiding tobacco use, limiting alcohol intake, maintaining a healthy weight, being physically active, breastfeeding, and avoiding hormone replacement therapy.

Breast cancer can be detected early by performing breast self-examination, seeking a clinical breast examination, and undergoing mammography if indicated. Breast cancer can be treated by surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone therapy, and targeted therapy, depending on the stage and type of the tumour.

7. Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is a malignant tumour that develops from the cells of the cervix, which is the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina. Cervical cancer can cause abnormal vaginal bleeding or discharge, pain during sex or urination, pelvic pain or swelling, and sometimes leg pain or swelling if it spreads to other parts of the body.

Cervical cancer is caused by persistent infection with certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV), which are sexually transmitted. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in Africa and the leading cause of cancer death among women in 28 African countries.

Cervical cancer can be prevented by vaccinating girls and boys against HPV before sexual debut, practising safe sex, using condoms, testing and treating for STIs, and avoiding tobacco use.

Cervical cancer can be detected early by undergoing regular screening with a Pap smear, visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), or an HPV DNA test, and treating precancerous lesions with cryotherapy, a loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP), or cold coagulation. Cervical cancer can be treated with surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and palliative care, depending on the stage of the disease.

8. Female Genital Mutilation

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a harmful practice that involves the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. FGM can cause severe pain, bleeding, infection, infertility, complications during childbirth, and psychological trauma. FGM is a violation of the human rights of girls and women and a form of gender-based violence. Female gender mutilation is prevalent in many countries in Africa, where millions of girls and women are at risk every year.

Female gender mutilation can be eliminated by raising awareness of its harmful effects, empowering girls and women to make informed choices, engaging communities and religious leaders to abandon the practice, enforcing laws and policies that prohibit FGM, and providing health care and support to survivors of FGM.

9. Gender-based Violence

Gender-based violence (GBV) is any act of violence that results in or is likely to result in physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women or men based on their gender. GBV includes intimate partner violence (IPV), sexual violence, child marriage, female infanticide, trafficking, forced prostitution, honour killings, acid attacks, dowry-related violence, female genital mutilation (FGM), and other harmful practices. GBV is a major public health problem and a human rights violation that affects millions of women and girls in Africa.

Gender-based violence can cause injuries, unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HIV/AIDS, mental disorders, suicide attempts, and death. GBV can also limit women's access to education, employment, and healthcare and social participation.

Gender-based violence can be prevented by promoting gender equality, empowering women and girls, challenging harmful gender norms and stereotypes, engaging men and boys as allies, providing comprehensive sexuality education, strengthening legal frameworks and enforcement mechanisms, providing multisectoral services and support to survivors, and strengthening data collection and research.

10. Non-communicable Diseases

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are chronic diseases that are not caused by infectious agents and are not transmitted from person to person. NCDs include cardiovascular diseases (such as heart disease and stroke), cancers, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases (such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), and mental disorders. NCDs are the leading cause of death globally, and in Africa, they caused an estimated 2.7 million deaths in 2019, accounting for 41% of all deaths.

NCDs affect women differently than men due to biological, social, and environmental factors. For example, women are more likely to die from stroke than men in Africa due to the higher prevalence of hypertension and less access to treatment. Women are also more likely to suffer from depression than men due to hormonal changes, life events, and gender-based violence.

11. Obstetric Fistula

Obstetric fistula is a condition that occurs when a woman has prolonged and obstructed labour, resulting in a hole between her vagina and bladder or rectum. This causes continuous leakage of urine or faeces and often leads to social stigma, infection, and infertility.

According to the World Health Organization, obstetric fistulas are most common in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia, where access to quality maternal health care is limited. Some of the factors that contribute to the high prevalence of obstetric fistula among African women are:

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• Early marriage and pregnancy increase the risk of cephalopelvic disproportion (when the baby’s head is too large for the mother’s pelvis).

• Lack of skilled birth attendants, emergency obstetric care, and transportation to health facilities.

• Poverty, malnutrition, and low education limit women’s ability to seek and afford health services.
• Cultural and religious beliefs, such as female genital mutilation, may affect women’s reproductive health and rights.

To prevent obstetric fistula in sub-Saharan Africa and, indeed, Africa as a whole, there has to be improved access to family planning and reproductive health education, strengthening health systems and infrastructures, raising awareness and advocacy to reduce the stigma and discrimination faced by women with obstetric fistula, and providing comprehensive care and support for women with obstetric fistula.

These health challenges faced by women in Africa affect their well-being, dignity, and potential. They are not only human rights issues but also development issues, as they hinder the social and economic progress of the continent. To address these challenges, there is a need for concerted efforts from health institutions, governments, civil society, international organisations, and donors to invest in women’s health in Africa, empower African women and girls, and promote gender equality.

Debbo Africa is actively providing quality healthcare and therapy for African women to overcome the burden of non-communicable diseases like cancer, HIV, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, etc. You can join our exclusive female-only health tribe and receive quality healthcare from our doctors and other expert healthcare providers. Alternatively, you can reach out to us for a physical or virtual consultation.

Additional Resources:

• The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria: https://www.theglobalfund.org/
• World Health Organization: Women and Health: https://www.who.int/health-topics/women-s-health

UN Women: Gender and Health: https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2022/07/gender-equality-for-health-and-well-being