"Midwives, GP 's and obstetricians should be aware that most GBS infections could be prevented. They must be at the forefront of the battle to end the unnecessary suffering caused by this deadly infection."
Jane and Robert Plumb set up GBSS after losing their second child, Theo, to the infection. The charity is also calling on the government to ensure reliable testing for GBS is routinely offered to all pregnant women and available on the NHS.
Jane Plumb says:
"It 's scandalous that so many babies are still dying needlessly. All relevant health professionals should know how GBS infection in babies can be prevented. And every pregnant woman should be informed about GBS so she can protect her baby."
 September 20th 2006 marks the tenth anniversary of the inception of Group B Strep Support (GBSS), a UK charity set up to prevent GBS infection in newborn babies. Jane and Robert Plumb founded GBSS following the death of their second child, Theo, from GBS in 1996; they had a healthy child, Camilla, in August 1998.
GBS is the most common cause of life-threatening infection in newborn babies in the UK. Without preventative medicine, GBS infects up to 700 babies a year, killing an estimated 75 and leaving 40 with serious long-term mental or physical problems.
GBS is a normal bacterium carried by up to 30% of adults. It can be passed from mother to baby during labour. For most babies this causes no problems: for others it can be deadly, causing blood poisoning and meningitis. A reliable test to check for GBS in pregnant women, routinely used in the USA and elsewhere, is only available privately in the UK. Evidence shows that screening with this method - and giving intravenous antibiotic injections during labour to women at higher risk of passing on the bacteria - would prevent up to 80% of all GBS infections in newborn babies. At present only 3,000 women are tested each year in the UK - less than 0.5% of pregnant women.
Reliable tests for GBS are only readily available from one private laboratory in the UK. Packs containing the necessary swabs can be obtained free, and a postal service for carrying out the test costs £32. Please contact The Doctors Laboratory on 020 7307 7373 or look on the GBSS Website.
Most pregnant women have not heard of GBS. For more information check out the GBSS website.
David Cameron MP tabled an Early Day Motion No 538 asking the Government to facilitate full implementation of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists ' (RCOG) national GBS guidelines, and urging the Department of Health to ensure reliable testing for GBS carriage in pregnancy is urgently made available on the NHS. 94 MPs from all parties have so far signed the motion, demonstrating the wide level of support for this important issue around the country.
GBSS has no links nor receives any money from any laboratory. GBSS wants to see the sensitive tests for GBS carriage available routinely to all pregnant women on the NHS but, until it is, is supporting the RCOG 's national guidelines for a risk-factor approach to preventing GBS infection in newborn babies.
Romilly Wright (born 5th May 2005, East Sussex)
Hannah and Matt Wright lived through every parent 's worst nightmare when their baby daughter Romilly was born unable to breath.
During labour Hannah had a raised temperature and prolonged rupture of membranes - her waters broke 29 hours before Romilly 's birth. These are two of the key risk factors indicating possible GBS infection, and are cited in nationally recognised guidelines. Despite this, Hannah wasn 't given antibiotics until very late in the labour. Romilly was rushed to the Special Care Baby Unit, where she eventually made a full recovery. Hannah says: "If only I had received information about GBS or been offered a test when I was pregnant, I would have known what to look out for and this wouldn 't have happened."
Isabel Peake (born 13th March 2003, Hampshire)
The first time Leesa Yeo ever heard of GBS was when she was told that her 16-hour-old daughter, Isabel, had probable meningitis. Isabel was transferred to the highest level of intensive care. She suffered severe fitting and her kidneys began to fail. "Her little body was a mass of wires, with a bonnet hiding more monitors stuck to her head," says Leesa.
Isabel survived, but the infection has left her with serious long-term health problems. "She was registered blind at one year old and diagnosed with severe cerebral palsy affecting all her limbs," says Leesa. "But she is now a beautiful, bright, chatty, cheeky little girl who doesn 't know that life should have been very different."
Isabel now has a younger sister Zoƫ, born healthy in September 2005.
Rosie Birkett (born 14 February 2005, died 18 February 2005, Hampshire)
On Valentines Day 2005 Lindsay and George Birkett celebrated the happiest day of their lives as their first child, Rosie, was born. Two days later Rosie 's breathing pattern changed and she started to make stiff, jerky movements. She was rushed by ambulance to a neonatal unit. Rosie had a GBS infection, presenting as meningitis with septicaemia. At just four days old, Rosie died in her mother 's arms.
Like most women, Lindsay wasn 't given any information about GBS during her pregnancy. She says: "It 's frustrating to know that GBS is usually easily preventable, but, as in Rosie 's case, is often not identified or treated until it 's too late".
In May 2006 the Birketts had a healthy baby daughter, Victoria.
Alice Keyte (born 25th December 2005, Gloucestershire)
Charlotte Keyte insisted on being tested for GBS, despite her midwives ' advice that it wasn 't necessary. Charlotte tested positive for GBS, so she was given intravenous antibiotics during labour. She and husband William had their best ever Christmas present when baby Alice was born on Christmas Day 2005. As her mum was a GBS carrier, Alice was observed every four hours for the first two days of her life. No sign of infection was found and Alice is still a healthy little girl.
September 2006 |
