I have been contacted about Group B Streptococcus (GBS), an infection that can have a devastating effect for some mothers and their babies, and I note the calls for GBS to be added to Schedule 1 of the Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010.
The Department for Health and Social Care ran a consultation on proposed amendments to the Health Protection Notification Regulations 2010. The Government is currently analysing responses and will respond in due course.
There are roughly 400 to 500 cases of early onset GBS each year, and the vast majority of babies affected will fully recover with prompt treatment. The UK National Screening Committee stresses the importance of not prescribing antibiotics unnecessarily while the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has published guidelines outlining the steps required to effectively prevent and treat GBS infections.
In March 2017, the UK National Screening Committee, which advises ministers in all four UK countries on all aspects of screening, concluded that it would not recommend a national screening programme for GBS in pregnancy. This is because, unfortunately, the current test cannot accurately distinguish between those mothers whose babies are at risk, and those who are not.
However, I welcome that a National Institute for Health Research funded clinical trial is comparing universal screening for GBS with two other approaches for identifying GBS: through an antenatal Enriched Culture Medium test at 35 - 37 weeks, or a rapid point of care Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test during labour. The UK National Screening Committee will review the GBS3 trial’s findings, expected in 2024, before a recommendation is made.
Public Health England’s national programme Start4Life provides advice and practical guidance to parents-to-be and families with babies and under five years old, to help them adopt healthy behaviours and build parenting skills. The Start4Life website offers guidance for pregnant mothers on GBS which is available at the following link: https://www.nhs.uk/start4life
Maternity care is, rightly, a priority for the Government, and it has announced an ambition to reduce stillbirths, neonatal deaths, maternal deaths and neonatal brain injuries by 50 per cent by 2025. This includes harm and death caused by GBS.
