Download A group of 22 parents whose newborns babies had all contracted

Group B Strep Support
Preventing GBS infection in newborn babies
News Release
5 November 2004
Affected families discuss with Health Minister how Government
plans to prevent the infection that killed their newborns
A group of 15 families, united in grief after their newborn babies all contracted life
threatening group B streptococcal infection, met with the Health Minister Stephen
Ladyman yesterday to discuss how the government can reduce cases of this infection.
GBS is the most common cause of life-threatening infection in newborn babies in the
UK – it infects up to 700 babies a year, killing up to 100 of them and leaving another
20 with serious long-term mental or physical problems. Despite this, few pregnant
women have even heard of the disease.
During the meeting, requested by the David Cameron, MP for Witney, the Health
Minister heard again and again tragic stories from mothers and fathers who lost their
newborn babies to a devastating infection that might have been prevented had the
mother been given antibiotics during labour. Their babies weren’t given this chance.
David Cameron first became aware of GBS from his constituents, Craig and Alison
Richards, who were both at the meeting and lost their newborn baby boy Owen from
GBS in September 2002.
Through the national charity, Group B Strep Support, the families have been
campaigning for a reliable test to detect the presence of GBS to be made freely
available to all pregnant women on the NHS. This test is currently only available
privately. The Health Minister said he was open-minded about the test, saying that if
it is achievable and workable, he will make sure that it is made available.
Jane Plumb, chairman of Group B Strep Support, said, “In this day and age, it’s
unforgivable for parents to be told their baby is suffering from life-threatening
infection which, for the sake of a simple test late in pregnancy, might have been
prevented.”
The Health Minister agreed that, in the absence of reliable screening tests being made
available on the NHS, the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists’ riskbased guidelines should be implemented nationally. These guidelines state that
offering antibiotics in labour should be considered if risk factors are present
(including preterm labour, preterm or prolonged rupture of membranes and the mother
having a raised temperature in labour) and where the mother has a history of GBS.
The Minister also agreed that, although progress is being made, extra measures must
be taken to educate pregnant women and their health professionals about GBS.
David Cameron concluded, “More still needs to be done, but the progress that we
made today was a good start.”
-ENDSFurther enquiries
Jane Plumb, chairman, GBSS
Tel.
0870 803 0023
E-mail:
[email protected]
Website:
www.gbss.org.uk
Notes to editors
1. Group B Strep Support (GBSS) is a UK charity set up to prevent GBS infection in
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
newborn babies. Jane & Robert Plumb founded GBSS following the death of their
second child, Theo, from GBS in 1996; they had a healthy child, Camilla, in August
1998.
GBS is the most common cause of life-threatening infection in newborn babies in the UK.
It infects up to 700 babies a year, killing up to 100 of them and leaving another 20 with
serious long-term mental or physical problems.
At present, the reliable tests are only available from one private laboratory, which offers a
postal service. Free GBS screening packs can be obtained from The Doctors Laboratory
by telephoning 0207 460 4800. More information is contained in their leaflet at
http://www.gbss.org.uk/TDL220604.pdf .
GBSS does not have the resources to deal with requests from health professionals for free
GBS screening packs. It would, therefore, be helpful to publish the telephone number
given above for The Doctors Laboratory.
Most pregnant women have not heard of GBS. It would be helpful if you would publish
the charity's website and/or land-line number.
Brief details of families meeting the Health Minister are attached. All are happy to share
their experiences of GBS with the media.
More information on GBS, including additional quotes, or contact with the charity’s
medical advisers, is available from Jane Plumb.
228 MPs from all parties signed EDM 1211 in 2002/3 and 214 signed EDM 973 in
2003/4, making them amongst the most highly supported of the last two parliamentary
sessions, showing that MPs across all parties consider this a very serious issue.