Indonesian Province Most Affected by Tsunami Lacks Contraceptives, Likely To See Increase in Unplanned Pregnancies, Officials Say

Main Category: Fertility
Article Date: 04 Feb 2005 - 14:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

Refugee camps set up in Aceh province in Indonesia, which was heavily affected by the December 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, are facing a shortage of contraceptives and, as a result, could experience a significant increase in the number of unplanned pregnancies, according to Indonesian government officials, the… Associated Press reports. More than 400,000 people who were left homeless following the tsunami are living in "squalid" refugee camps in Aceh, which is one of the poorest provinces in the nation, according to the Associated Press. Tri Tjahjadi, an official with the Indonesia National Family Planning Coordinating Board, said the organization has been inundated by requests for condoms and other forms of contraception since December 2004. However, the organization, which estimates the need to be 80,000 contraceptives, says it has only about 16,000 condoms and other contraceptives to distribute. "As these people start to forget the traumatic event, we expect an increase of sexual activity among the affected people, especially in the next three months," Tjahjadi said. United Nations Population Fund officials have said that the problem is further complicated by the fact that many Aceh roads were destroyed by the tsunami, making delivery of additional contraceptives difficult. Currently, there are about 25,000 pregnant women among the refugees in Aceh province, and about 27 births take place each day in the camps. Pregnant women in the camps have a greater risk of developing infections and experiencing complications during delivery because the camps often have unsanitary conditions, the Associated Press reports (Associated Press, 2/1).

"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/repro The Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

• Additional
• References
• Citations