Antibiotics advised for mothers to halt Strep B

WOMEN who go into premature labour should be offered antibiotics to prevent a potentially deadly infection being passed to their babies, senior obstetricians have said.

New guidance from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) says any woman who goes into labour before 37 weeks’ gestation should be offered antibiotics to prevent passing on Group B Strep (GBS).

Updated NHS guidance also says women who have tested positive for GBS in a previous pregnancy can be tested at 35 to 37 weeks in subsequent pregnancies to see if they also need antibiotics in labour.

GBS is the UK’s most common cause of life-threatening infection in newborn babies and is on the rise, with 500 babies infected with it in the UK in 2015.

The infection can cause a range of serious problems including meningitis, septicaemia and pneumonia, and even death.

The NHS does not currently recommend screening for GBS despite women living in other countries – including the US, Canada, France, Germany and Slovenia – being routinely offered a test.

GBS occurs naturally in the digestive system and lower vaginal tract of around a quarter of women at any one time and usually causes no harm. But in a pregnant woman who carries GBS the bacteria can be passed on to her baby during labour.

Most will not suffer illness but some can become seriously unwell.

According to the RCOG, 17 out of 20 babies with the infection will fully recover if they are given prompt antibiotic treatment.

However, two in 20 babies will be left disabled and one in 20 will die.

Women are at higher risk of passing GBS to their babies if they go into premature labour, with 22% of GBS cases in 2015 to babies born prematurely.

The RCOG has ruled out universal testing of all pregnant women, saying there is no clear evidence to show that routine testing will do more good than harm.

Peter Brocklehurst, professor of women’s health at the University of Birmingham and a co-author of the guideline, said: “The management of women whose babies are at raised risk of developing Group B Strep infection remains a vital part of reducing illness and deaths.

“Ensuring a consistent approach to care in all maternity units is vital to achieving the best outcomes for both mother and baby.”

Jane Plumb, chief executive of the charity Group B Strep Support, said: “When fully implemented across the UK we believe this change will make a real difference and we will see the rate of infections start to fall.”

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “The UK National Screening Committee’s latest review of screening for Group B Strep carriage has found there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that the benefits of population screening would outweigh the harms.

“In its review the UK NSC highlighted that a population screening programme would lead to large numbers of predominantly low-risk women being offered antibiotics that they do not need.

“More and better-quality evidence is needed on screening for Group B Strep. A UK clinical trial is being commissioned to compare population screening for Group B Strep against the current approach.

“The findings from this trial are not anticipated for a number of years but will be considered by the UK NSC in due course.”