Have you heard of Group B Streptococcal (GBS) Infection in Newborn Babies?
GBS is a normal bacterium and up to a third of all men and women carry GBS in their intestines without symptoms and roughly a quarter of women of childbearing age carry GBS in the vagina at any one time.
GBS has been recognised as the most common cause of bacterial infection in newborn babies, usually presenting within the first 24-48 hours after birth, resulting in disease around the time of birth and up to 3 months of age, although they can occur after this time though this is rare. THIS IS PREVENTABLE. By treating women with antibiotics when she goes into labour or her waters break.
An ECM (Enriched Culture Method) Test gives the most reliable results, but it's not widely available from every NHS Trust.
The HVS (Standard High Vaginal Swab) is offered on the NHS, if any testing is offered at all - I know I was never spoken to about GBS let alone offered a test. The problem is it's not a particularly sensitive test and can give false negatives. It only picks up GBS in about 50% of cases where it's present.
The Charity, Group B Strep Support, have been campaigning for the more reliable ECM Test to be offered by the NHS, and for women to be provided with information about GBS, so together with their health practitioner, they can discuss and identify whether they're in an at risk group or not, as even this isn't done currently routinely.
To find out more, including how to contact your MP to lobby for change, go to www.http://www.gbss.org.uk and to find out how to get the ECM test privately if you want to. This can be done by post.
Of course, they're there too if you've been affected in any way by GBS.
