- What is Group B Streptococcus?
Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a symptomless bacterium that exists in 30 per cent of the adult UK population. Rarely, GBS can cause infection in adults with impaired or suppressed immune systems. More commonly, it can cause serious infection in babies shortly before, during or after birth. GBS is the commonest cause of life-threatening infections in babies in the UK.
- How common are GBS infections in newborn babies?
Approximately one in eight babies born in the UK each year is colonised with the GBS bacterium. However, not all colonised babies will develop a GBS infection. The latest figures show that one in every 1,000 babies develops an infection, about 700 a year. Of these, about 11 per cent die.
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