Findings from a pilot study at Northwick Park Hospital in London reveal that screening pregnant women for Group B Streptococcus (GBS) reduced life-threatening infections in newborn babies by 83 per cent.
It comes just weeks after the UK National Screening Committee said there was ‘insufficient evidence’ to introduce GBS screening for all mums-to-be in the UK following a review of evidence.
Unlike other developed countries, pregnant women in the UK are not routinely offered tests to detect group B Strep, the most common cause of life-threatening infection in newborn babies in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Group B Strep is a normal bacterium carried by around a quarter of women without symptoms. It can be passed from the mother to the baby during birth. However, if it is detected before, women can be given antibiotics during labour to protect their babies from the infection.
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