The South Tongu District of the Volta Region has witnessed a surge in teenage pregnancy cases within the first quarter of 2024.

 

The period recorded a 15.6% rate of teenage pregnancy, as against the 12% and 13.5% in the entire of 2022 and 2023 respectively.

 

The increase in teenage pregnancy cases which places the future of the district in limbo has become a great worry to stakeholders.

 

The South Tongu District Health Directorate and the Tongu Council of Chiefs have, therefore, formed a synergy to reduce the incidence of teenage pregnancy in the district.

 

A Public Health Nurse in the District, Rachelle Elikem Zewu, asserted the high incidence of teenage pregnancy was a result of unprotected sexual activities, lack of contraceptive knowledge, poverty, migration, and lack of parental control.

 

She also outlined substance abuse, sexual and gender-based violence, and the lack of adolescent-friendly services in communities and schools in the district.

 

She asserted that teenage expectant mothers and mothers are suffering facing health conditions including eclampsia, premature births, difficult labor, depression, and sexually transmitted diseases, leading to public health risks.

 

"This menace would not only harm the young girls but also lead to school dropouts, thereby crippling their prospects," she added.

 

The South Tongu District Health Director, Mavis Agumeh, stressed that her outfit would launch an intensive adolescent health education campaign across the district, especially in educational and public organizations.

 

She entreated parents to prioritize and engage their children in sexual orientation to expose them to the dangers of indulging in sexual acts at an early age and its consequences.

 

The Paramount Stool Father of the Fievie Traditional Area, Zikpitorga Awuku Doe Atakli promised an effective collaboration of the Tongu Council of Chiefs with the Ghana Health Service in combating the increasing incidence of teenage pregnancy in South Tongu District.

 

He urged all relevant stakeholders and corporate Ghana to form a synergy to tackle the root causes of teenage girl pregnancy in the district.