ALARMING DANGERS OF GROUP B STREP AND CHILDBIRTH

Every year, 12,000 babies suffer brain damage or die after being infected with the common bacteria known as Group B Strep (GBS) during delivery. Until now, most obstetricians did not regularly test women for GBS, but new guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) may change that. The new guidelines encourage screening for GBS between weeks 28 and 30 of pregnancy. If a woman tests positive, ACOG recommends that she be given intravenous antibiotics during labor to protect the baby, but only in the event of another risk factor, such as premature labor or premature rupture of membranes, present during labor.

Since as many as 40 percent of all pregnant women carry GBS, and less than one percent of their babies get sick, not all mothers who test positive are treated. According to medical experts, giving antibiotics to all mothers carrying GBS would increase the danger that the bacteria would eventually become immune to the drugs, making it even more dangerous.