GBSS reports on a recent study published in the journal, Nature. The study by researchers at the University of Cambridge, has found that 1 in 200 newborns are admitted to neonatal units with sepsis caused by Group B Streptococcus. This figure is around 10 times higher than the previous estimate. For those with a medical background or an interest in GBS, you will find this article very interesting.
Group B Strep Support’s Chief Executive Jane Plumb MBE commented on the report:
“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.
This research suggests that the number of preventable infections may be ten times higher than previously thought, each one having a significant impact on babies and their families.
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.’
We need to do all we can to protect the most vulnerable in our society, and for the prevention of GBS robust data collection is central to this mission.”