Deadly infection risk in newborns could be higher than previously thought, study warns

Newborn babies could be at a higher risk of a deadly bacterial infection carried by their mothers than previously thought.

Group B Strep or GBS is a common bacteria found in the vagina and rectum which is usually harmless. However, it can be passed on from mothers to their newborn babies leading to complications such as meningitis and sepsis.

NHS England says that GBS rarely causes problems and 1 in 1,750 babies fall ill after contracting the infection.

However, researchers at the University of Cambridge have found that the likelihood of newborn babies falling ill could be far greater.

They claim one in 200 newborns are admitted to neonatal units with sepsis caused by GBS. Pregnant women are not routinely screened for GBS in the UK and only usually discover they are carriers if they have other complications or risk factors.

Jane Plumb, co-founded charity Group B Strep Support with her husband Robert after losing their middle child to the infection in 1996.

She said: “This important study highlights the extent of the devastating impact group B Strep has on newborn babies, and how important it is to measure accurately the number of these infections.

“Inadequate data collected on group B Strep is why we recently urged the Government to make group B Strep a notifiable disease, ensuring cases would have to be reported.

“Without understanding the true number of infections, we may not implement appropriate prevention strategies and are unable to measure their true effectiveness.”

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Source: The Independent, 29 November 2023

Further reading on the hub:

• Leading for safety: A conversation with Jane Plumb, Founder of Group B Strep Support