NAIROBI: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated gender inequities in Africa, a top World Health Organization (WHO) official said here. The remark was made in a statement on Sunday by Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO's Regional Director for Africa ahead of International Women's Day to on March 8, reports Xinhua news agency.
Matshidiso Moeti pointed out that the pandemic's aftershocks had a disproportionate impact on women and girls in the continent amid the absence of a robust safety net to minimize their vulnerabilities.
WHO said that African women bore the brunt of income losses, social marginalization, and health risks that escalated at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the continent.
African women despite accounting for about 41 percent of Covid-19 cases suffered immensely from social and economic disruptions linked to the pandemic including violence, job losses, and poverty. "The work that African women rely on for example in personal care and the informal sector came to a standstill for several months in some countries," she added.
"The aftershocks of Covid-19 pandemic on women and girls have been profound, leaving many grappling with heightened risk to their health and safety," said Moeti."Our response must go beyond the clinical aspects of the pandemic and address the hidden crises that risk causing long-term effects to lives and livelihoods," she added.
According to the WHO, nine of the 22 countries reported a decline in skilled birth attendance carried out informal health facilities alongside an increase in abortion-related complications amid disruptions caused by the pandemic.
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