Group B strep campaigners warn research into newborn baby infection ‘at risk’

Research to protect newborn babies from catching a life-threatening infection from their mothers is in jeapardy, according to campaigners.

Group B strep infection can be passed on to the baby during labour may lead to sepsis or meningitis.

It can cause lasting problems like loss of hearing or vision, and sometimes can be fatal.

Jane Plumb, chief executive of Group B Step Support, has been fighting for routine testing of pregnant women for the infection since she lost her 17-hour-old son Theo in 1996.

Medical research is now looking to assess the effectiveness of this testing but the trial needs 80 hospitals and only 30 have so far signed up.

Ms Plumb told Sky News: “Without having the robust evidence, policy won’t change and the trial is absolutely the best and probably only shot at being able to get the evidence to affect change.”

According to the NHS, it affects two to four women in 10 and is common in pregant women.

However, there is a small risk that it could make your baby ill if spread during the labout. This happens in about one in 1,750 pregnancies.

Ms Plumb said that roughly two babies as day develop the infection, adding: “One of those babies, every week, dies and another baby survives with lifelong disability,” she said. “And this is unforgivable because most of these infections are preventable.”

To prevent the infection from spreading to the baby, antibiotics can be given to mothers who test positive for the infection.

Many developed countries including France, Germany, Spain and the US offer routine testing for pregnant women, and have seen their rates of infection fall “dramatically” according to Ms Plumb.

Such testing can prevent mothers such as Kate Rogers, whose son Frank was diagnosed with meningitis three days after birth due to the infection, from feeling “incredibly guilty”.

Ms Rogers said she initially blamed herself for not reading and researching enough, adding it is “difficult to know that this could have been prevented”.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson told Sky News: “Those identified at risk of having a baby affected by this infection are offered antibiotics in labour, enabling priority care and treatment for those we know are most vulnerable.

“There is currently insufficient evidence regarding the benefits of universal screening in relation to the potential harms, but we keep this evidence under review and will consider the results of an ongoing large-scale clinical trial when it reports.”