UEA epidemiologist says it's unlikely Group B strep bacteria will ever be eradicated
It's as a charity warns pregnant women and new mothers aren't being given enough information about the infection
An epidemiologist from the University of East Anglia in Norwich says it's unlikely Group B strep bacteria will ever be totally eradicated - but that antibiotics are reducing the worst effects of it.
It comes as the charity Group B Strep Support warns that pregnant women and new mothers are not being given enough information about the infection.
A survey for the charity of 529 pregnant women and mothers who had a baby in the last two years found that 66% are not getting information from their healthcare professional about group B strep.
Just 24% said they were given information by a health professional about the bacteria, 19% overall were told about group B strep symptoms in babies, and 13% were told about private testing for group B.
Most (62%) did not feel confident identifying symptoms of the potentially life-threatening infection in a baby, and 93% supported the introduction of national testing for it.
The NHS does not routinely test for group B strep, though women can pay privately for a test.
It may also be found during examinations for another reason, such as a vaginal swab.
"Some evidence that they can reduce the risk to the baby"
Professor Paul Hunter works at Norwich Medical School:
"About 1 in 3 women carry around this organism. It very rarely does them any harm, at all. The problem is that a small amount of babies- about 1 in 2,000- will get this infection.
"I don't think we'll ever prevent it entirely. You can use antibiotics.
"If they are given to the woman before they go into labour, it doesn't seem to have much value. But if you give them during labour, there's some evidence that they can reduce the risk to the baby. But not eradicate the risk, sadly."
"It's an unusual infection"
"When I was working in the health service, we would typically, in a major district hospital, see one or two babies born a year with this infection. It's an unusual infection, but if the baby does get it, it can be quite severe."
He told us what those with new-borns should watch out for:
"If they start going floppy or get increasingly irritable. I realise that for new parents it can be really difficult to judge whether your baby is acting differently from what you expect, but that's why midwives and health visitors are around."
"Midwives are under immense pressure in the NHS"
Jane Plumb, chief executive of the charity, said: "These worrying findings show that progress still hasn't been made by UK hospitals to deliver guideline-defined care - and expectant parents are being kept dangerously in the dark about group B strep.
"Midwives are under immense pressure in the NHS, making it even harder for them to give each expectant parent the information and care they need. But the stakes are simply too high - babies' lives are at risk."
Guidance from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) recommends that information on group B strep should be available to all pregnant women.
Group B Strep Support says two babies a day develop the infection, one baby dies of it every week, and one baby a week recovers but with a life-changing disability.
"It's so important that parents are empowered to make informed choices"
RCOG president Dr Ranee Thakar said: "These new data show that more needs to be done to improve awareness of group B strep among pregnant women and people.
"The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' clinical guideline on group B strep recommends that all pregnant women should be provided with information on group B strep as part of their antenatal care.
"As the leading cause of life-threatening infection in newborn babies in the UK, it's so important that parents are empowered to make informed choices about their care.
"We'd encourage all health professionals to share the free patient information leaflet we developed in partnership with Group B Strep Support, which is available in 15 languages, including English."