COVID-19 devastating women health, increasing maternal mortality, PAHO Director

The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) director, Carissa F. Etienne, warns that continued disruption of health services for women due to COVID-19 more than 20 years of progress in reducing maternal mortality and access to family planning in Latin America and the Caribbean.

2025-08-01 17:35:53

Caribbean: The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) Director, Carissa F. Etienne, warns that continued disruption of health services for women due to COVID-19 more than 20 years of progress in reducing maternal mortality and access to family planning in Latin America and the Caribbean. "I want to highlight the devastating health, social and economic aspects that this virus has had on women," said Dr Etienne said during her weekly media conference. Women have been particularly affected by disruptions to reproductive and maternal health services, she added. "According to UN data estimates, up to 20 million women in the US will interrupt their birth control during the pandemic, either because services are unavailable or because women no longer have the means to pay for contraception." Pregnancy and newborn care have also been disrupted in nearly half of the nations in the Americas, she added. At the same time, pregnant women are more vulnerable to respiratory diseases such as COVID-19. When they become ill, they tend to develop more severe symptoms that require intubation, which can put the mother and baby at major risk. "If this continues, the global pandemic is anticipated to wipe out more than 20 years of progress in expanding women's access to family planning and tackling maternal deaths in the region," said Dr Etienne said. "Almost all maternal deaths can be prevented. It can take even longer than a decade to return to the pre-pandemic levels of maternal deaths, which have been high." The maternal mortality ratio in Latin America and the Caribbean decreased from 96 to 74 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births between 2000 and 2017, an overall reduction of 23.1%. Dr Etienne drew attention to the upcoming International Day of Action on Women's Health, which is celebrated on 28 May, and said: 'We call on nations to do just that - to act. We can begin by ensuring that women and girls have access to the health services they need - such as sexual and reproductive health services and pregnancy and newborn care - during the COVID response. ” "We must remember that the challenges and inequalities we faced before COVID did not go away during the pandemic - it only got worse and can not be overlooked. That is why we must make the protection of women's lives a shared priority, 'she continued.

Cases and deaths are alarmingly high

Dr Etienne also focused attention to the World Health Organization (WHO) claim that accidents due to COVID-19 were seriously underreported last week. "Coronavirus' true global 2020 death toll is closer to three million people - almost double the figures reported last year," she said. "It is worrying that half of these deaths have occurred here in the Americas, indicating the huge impact this pandemic has had on our region." Last week, more than 1.2 million new COVID-19 cases and 31,000 deaths were reported in the United States.

"These figures have remained unchanged in recent weeks, highlighting a worrying trend: cases and deaths are at an alarmingly high level," said Dr Etienne said. "In fact, last week, there were four out of five of the countries reporting the highest number of new infections in our region, and Latin American countries represent the top five highest mortality rates worldwide." Increases in cases have been reported in Central American countries, including Costa Rica, Panama, Belize and Honduras, where ICU beds have more than 80%. In the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago has declared a national state of emergency following a recent outbreak of COVID-19. Cuba is still reporting a significant increase, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are still experiencing spikes after people were relocated to shelters due to recent volcanic eruptions. "We are also concerned about the growing trends in hospitalizations in Haiti," he said. Etienne said. In South America, new infections have declined in Chile, Peru and Paraguay. But Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil, after experiencing several weeks of progress, are again seeing an increase in cases. Bolivia reports a dramatic rise in cases and deaths, and Guyana is experiencing its most significant number of cases and deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Monika Walker

Monika Walker is a senior journalist specializing in regional and international politics, offering in-depth analysis on governance, diplomacy, and key global developments. With a degree in International Journalism, she is dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices through factual reporting. She also covers world news across every genre, providing readers with balanced and timely insights that connect the Caribbean to global conversations.