Facilitating sexual and reproductive health services for adolescent girls in the COVID-19 era: An urgent public health priority

Almost 18 months into the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, sexual and reproductive health (SRH) concerns for adolescent girls in Zimbabwe remain unresolved.1 The control measures for COVID-19 pandemic such as lockdowns and closure of non-essential health services resulted in disruption of SRH services for this critical population. The disruptions have resulted in failure to access family planning (FP) clinics, emergency contraception, abortion facilities in cases of unintended pregnancies, treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and attendance for sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) victims, and disruptions in human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination programmes.1 This correspondence is, therefore, a call for prioritisation of restoration and maintenance of robust SRH services for adolescent girls in Zimbabwe to militate against further negative impact on SRH outcomes in this population.