On March 11, 2020, Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) was officially declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. With that declaration, global business activities and travels have gradually come to a near halt with lockdowns and movement restrictions across international and within country borders to contain the spread of the virus. COVID 19 has brought with it steely fear, anxiety and panic for survival. Fear of the unknown has made family bonding at this time inevitable. This is despite warnings by governments and relevant health institutions for people to maintain social distancing as a way of warding off the infection.
For many families, social distancing in this struggle is not meant for loved ones, and the virus happens to be a vital link to keep families together and united in the face of a fight that is collective.
James Erhabor, a Psychologist with the University of Benin puts it this way: “While everyone tries to maintain social distancing in order to keep the virus at bay, family bonding is key in order for families to unite in the face of an ‘impending doom’, a ravaging infection whose next victim could be a loved one. Staying together, companionship, maintaining or improving warmth, giving health tips and sharing laughter become invaluable at moments like this. Above all that, families would need to stick together to fight their unseen foe and fears together.”
With that locking together comes deep intimacy. Maria Ude, a Marriage and Intimacy Counselor says, “You either get intimate or share vicarious liability with the dreaded virus. It’s a win or lose situation.” She said with a grin. Families who were hitherto separated by career or work engagements all found their way home, or, when home was too far apart, created a new social milieu that often involved an intimate partner.
Speaking under the condition of anonymity, an offshore oil company worker told the writer: “A few of us were sent away in order for the company to observe the rule of social distancing among its staff and I happened to be among the lucky few; I am observing the social distancing far away from my siblings. We are miles and miles apart, but I can’t kill myself with boredom, so I had to be locked down with my fiancée. We are maintaining the social distancing together while siblings and parents are doing theirs far away. What matters is we must all win this War!”
With governments at all tiers desperately trying to enforce a stay at home order by directing the closure of major institutions, including religious worship centres, schools, offices, markets, etc, closely followed by the recent enforcement of the Quarantine Act by some state governments as a means to enforce a lockdown, the stay at home directive is getting tense and with it, more need for bonding!
The effect of emotional bonding is not regulated by any legislation nor is the act of love making limited under any human scripted Act! Having sex in the era of Covid-19 without contraception will eventually add up and population explosion will continue to hamper development.
While dealing with the pandemic, it is imperative for government and health agencies to ensure continued access to quality essential and integrated sexual and reproductive health services, including modern contraceptives, as well as the prevention and treatment of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
According to World Bank and the United Nations Census Bureau, Nigeria’s Population is estimated at 190.9million in 2017, and in 2019, it was estimated at 200 million persons. Over the last 50 years, the population grew substantially from 56 million to 200 million persons, rising at an increasing annual rate that reached a maximum of 3.0 % in 1978 and then decreased to 2.60% in 2019. As at December 2020, the nation’s population is estimated to have reached 206.1million people, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Jim Ugiagbe, an economist, gives an expert view of the impact of population explosion on the economy: “The relationship between population and economic development has been a recurrent theme in economic analysis since 1798 when Thomas Malthus famously argued that population growth would depress living standards in the long run. The theory was simple: given that there is a fixed quantity of land, population growth will eventually reduce the amount of resources that an individual can consume, ultimately resulting in disease, starvation and war.” The way to avoid such unfortunate outcome, the scholar argued, was “moral restraint”(i.e. refraining from having too many children). Ugiagbe posits that Malthus may not have foreseen the technological advances that would raise agricultural productivity and reduce the toll of infectious diseases – advances that have enabled the world’s population to grow from 1 billion in 1978 to 7.4 billion today, nevertheless, his essential insight that population growth constitutes a potential threat to economic development remained influential and informed international development policy agendas, especially as it underpinned the major rise in international funding for family planning with the aim of reducing birth rates and hence rates of population growth.
Economists generally opine that high birth rates and rapid population growth in poor countries would divert scarce capital away from savings and investments, thereby placing a drag on economic development. They hypothesized that larger families have fewer aggregate resources per child, spread more thinly to support more children. This leaves less for saving and investing in growth-enhancing activities, reduces spending on enhancing the economic potential of each child through education and health.
How does this view stop couple on lockdown from “coming together” to fight their fears and ensuring boredom does not hamper survival during the lockdown?
“Government may use its powers to enforce a lockdown, but no legislation can force conjugal making out or intimacy, but we can always remind ourselves of the dangers of over population and need for family planning,” says Dr Martha Dike, a family healthcare provider.
For the anonymous oil company worker, “Making out or intimacy is for adults not for children, so we know what to do. We have our preventive measures. Don’t forget, we are not only fighting against Covid-19, there is still HIV/AIDs and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) to worry about; unplanned pregnancies may be an enemy at the battle line, but we are prepared for it. We understand your concern.”
With the lockdown counting weeks away, so the need for couples to check out the menstrual circles and tick dates off on their biological clock! Patronage of pharmacies for Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) tools has increased and pharmacists and patent medicine store proprietors are testifying to this fact.
“Of course, prevention is better than cure. Condoms, daily pills and injectables do not stay long on the shelves now. They are sold out!”, says a patent medicine store proprietor. Other services that are sold out include beauty products and healthcare, clean shave tools, energy boosters, foams and mattresses, lingeries and boxers.
Phil Iyang, a housewife quips joyously, ” We can’t afford to look ugly and untidy during a lockdown. I have bought several packs of lingeries, bras, pants, perfumes, roll-on, and other make up products for use during the lockdown.” She also whispered, ” I have my implant against unwanted pregnancy too!!! .”
For Anthonia Ibuzo, abstinence is the watchword. She gives her reasons:
“I fear unwanted pregnancy more than I fear the so-called Corona virus. Since after I had a terrible pregnancy six years ago, pregnancy for me now is like a virus. I can’t afford one. If I am infected with Covid-19, I will treat it with our native herbs, but if I get pregnant even herbs cannot help me. I may die. I have five children, four through caesarean section and the fifth one was a natural birth which came suddenly and almost took our lives. I was in coma for three months; baby was in Intensive care for longer. My husband sold his only landed property to pay the bills, and today, we both fear sex. We abstain, do double condoms, implantation, take overdose of pills, etc. But we are happier without sex.”
Due to the closure of factories and restriction of transport, fears of condom, progesterone and antibiotic shortages have been raised and stockouts already reported in some countries. The need to extend abortion laws to protect women’s right to safe abortion and raised concerns of reproductive and social justice are top issues in the front burner.
The effect of lockdown could affect routine healthcare services and clinic appointments, and people can wait long hours for ante-natal care, contraceptive counseling or other reproductive health services, thereby increasing risk of infection. Medics say pregnancy is a risk factor for increased illness and death in outbreaks of influenza. As unintended pregnancies rise, so too may unsafe abortions. Meanwhile, the more women who give birth, the more women and babies stand the chance of dying due to lack of access to critical care and safe childbirth services. So, what is the way forward in mitigating these risks during a lockdown?
Summarily, as Nigeria and indeed the world battles Covid-19 pandemic, various actions are being taken by governments at national and state levels to contain the spread of the disease. These measures are necessary for the safety of the nation. However, the lockdown and movement restrictions could also have unintended consequences on the sexual and reproductive health of citizens. Women needing sexual and reproductive health services who reside in locations with COVID-19 government lockdown could experience constraints in accessing services. Their inability to access service predisposes them to reproductive health risks, such as unintended pregnancies and complications of sexually transmitted infections if nothing is done to reach them with services especially at this time of lockdown.
To prevent and mitigate the occurrence and potential impact of sexual and reproductive health accidents such as unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections and other allied general health concerns, Marie Stopes International Organisation Nigeria (MSION) is supporting government efforts to facilitate access to reproductive health services for women even at this time. MSION is a “not for profit” organization that has universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights at the core of its mandate. MSION teams spread across the country are working collaboratively with government on continued provision of family planning and other reproductive health services in over 2000 primary health Care facilities and over 550 private healthcare facilities in Nigeria. The organisation’s 23 mobile outreach teams still visit communities and collaborating with government health facilities to support service provision as well as increase awareness of COVID 19 precautionary measures amongst clients and communities in their localities.
In Lagos, Abuja and Edo, MSION owned clinics are open to render services and are offering clients who are in lockdown conditions transport support for facility-based services. These include contraception, cervical cancer screening and treatment, STI diagnosis and treatment, laboratory and other general health services. MSION toll free call centre (08000022252) has remained active and open to respond and provide non-judgmental professional and confidential sexual and reproductive health advice for individuals despite the lockdown.
The organisation says they are doing this because they have a commitment to their clients. Ogechi Onuoha, Head, Marketing and Corporate Communication, Marie Stopes International Organisation (MSION) explained, “We understand that sexual needs are basic human needs and we have a responsibility to empower our clients to secure their sexual and reproductive health future even in emergencies such as the one necessitated by COVID 19.”
As Nigeria responds to the COVID 19 pandemic, we urge the government and health development partners and agencies to factor sexual and reproductive health within the COVID 19 response to mitigate the impact of unplanned pregnancies.
