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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.