The Charity

www.gbss.org.uk

Group B Strep Support (GBSS) is a UK charity, founded in 1996. Our three main aims are to:


At Group B Strep Support, we believe that every woman should be informed about group B Strep and offered the opportunity to have a sensitive test to detect GBS carriage late in pregnancy.

Unfortunately, sensitive tests are not yet widely available within the NHS, although the are available privately.

And, longer term? Vaccination could prevent more cases of GBS infection than any other strategy, including preventing preterm labour and stillbirths caused by GBS infection, post-delivery GBS infection in the mother and late-onset GBS infection in the baby. Vaccination would also avoid allergic reactions to the recommended antibiotics and concern about the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Moreover, there are no indications of hazard in this approach. Investment into developing a vaccine against GBS infection is urgently needed.

If you would like to donate to this worthwhile cause, but are unable to attend, you can donate here: www.gbss.org.uk/AdrianCarolineGrove

GBSS

What is group B streptococcus?

GBS colonises up to 30% of adults in the UK, without symptoms or side-effects. However, GBS can also cause infection, most commonly in newborn babies before, during or shortly after birth. GBS can more rarely cause infection in adults (typically women during pregnancy or after birth, the elderly and people with serious underlying medical conditions which impair their immune system).

GBS is not a sexually transmitted disease and treatment of the woman and of her partner does not prevent re-colonisation.

In newborn babies, there are two types of GBS disease: early and late-onset. Roughly 80% of GBS disease is early-onset, occurring in the first 6 days of life and usually apparent at birth. Early-onset GBS disease is normally characterised by the rapid development of breathing problems, associated with blood poisoning. Late-onset disease - which usually presents as GBS meningitis - occurs after the baby is 6 days old and, normally, by age 1 month but, rarely, up to age 3 months. After age 3 months, GBS infection in babies is extremely rare.

GBS is also a recognised cause of preterm delivery, maternal infections, stillbirths and late miscarriages. GBS infections are rare in adults, especially so for men and women who are not pregnant.

Overall, without preventative medicine, GBS infections affect an estimated 1 in every 1,000 babies born in the UK. Each year, based on 700,000 babies born annually in the UK, approximately:


Of the survivors of GBS meningitis, up to one half suffer long-term mental and/or physical handicaps, from mild learning disabilities to severe mental retardation, loss of sight, loss of hearing and lung damage (in around 12% of the survivors, the disabilities may be severe). The great majority of survivors of early-onset disease do so with no long-term damage.