Untitled - Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative - Memorial ...

urinary tact infection can aggravate other puerperal
complications such as anaemia an d hypertension, wh i c h also
frequently occur i n sub -Saharan Africa. uri nary tract
i nf e c t i on in the puerperium, therefore, r equires great er
attention i n these developing countries t han it has presently
been accorded and many more st udies are needed ,
Breast infections :
The process o f b reast-feeding which f ollows pregnancy.
i n c r e a s e s the r i s k for de ve loping b reast infections and o t her
breast disorders in women. In the puerperium, i n f ect i v e breast
disorders range from mi nor problems such as c haffed nipples t o
mor e severe conditions such as mastitis and uceceeees .
Puerperal breast i nfections have for a long time been
recognised as one of t h e i mpo r t a nt i nfective ccmplications of
the p ue rpe r i um (92-95] , a nd in t he past epd dem Lcs of puerperal
breast i nfections were reported in North America and western
Europe [ 92-95] . I n winnipeg, Canada, e pi demics of breast
abscesses were reported in the l a t e 1940'S with i nc i de nc e s
reaching l eve l s of 10 -1 5% of all deliveries i n 194 7 [95). I n
England , during the same pe r-Lcd , 5 such outbreaks we r e a lso
reported , wi t h infection ra tes as high as 50% reported i n one
outbreak [93].
39
Apart f rom these ep idemics howeve r, spo radic episodes of
breast infection are a well- recognised feature of the