Sub-Saharan Africa: Saving Pregnant Teens & Newborns – Trial Results

Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world, estimated in 2020 to be 545 maternal deaths per 100 000 livebirths, more than 136 times higher than that of the lowest region.1 In Sierra Leone, adolescent girls (aged 10–19 years) account for up to 40% of all maternal deaths, nearly all of which are preventable.2,3 Efforts to prevent adolescent pregnancies have had limited success, and comprehensive approaches to optimising child and adolescent health are badly needed.4