By Magi Akinyi
A hospital in Kilifi County recorded more than 40 teenage pregnancies and abortions in the month of January alone.
Kilifi County Referral hospital recorded 21 teenage pregnancies and 20 abortions in January 2021.
Linda Safari, the officer in charge at the health records department, said the number rose compared to the end of last year.
Speaking to the media on the status of pregnancies in the county following the reopening of schools Safari said that 48 pregnancies were recorded between the months of July and September 2020.
Another 43 cases were recorded between the months of October and December 2020.
“Records show that all the victims were children from various primary and secondary schools in the County who had been sent home since March 2020 after the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.
According to Safari, more than half of the pregnancies are of girls aged between 10 and 15 years with a few being 16 to 19-year olds.
During the second half of 2020, 98 cases of abortion were reported in the hospital with parents and close friends being the ones who accompanied the teenagers who had procured the abortions.
