That this House notes that Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is the most common cause of life-threatening infection in newborn babies in the UK and that, without preventative action, 1 in 1,000 newborn babies will develop GBS infection, of whom approximately 75 will die and 40 will survive with long-term problems; congratulates Group B Strep Support, the UK's only charity focussed on GBS infection in newborn babies, on organising the UK's first Awareness Week from 26th September to 2nd October to increase knowledge of how most GBS infections in babies can be prevented; recognises that effective local implementation of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' November 2003 Guideline No. 36 (prevention of early-onset neonatal group B streptococcal disease) will prevent most GBS infection in newborn babies and implores the Government to facilitate full implementation; expresses its concern that reliable testing for GBS carriage in pregnancy, recognised by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' guideline as optimal, is still unavailable on the NHS; urges the Department of Health to ensure it is available urgently; and further notes that the recent article by the Medical Screening Society Working Group on GBS disease, comprising independent international and UK experts, supports both the efficacy of screening and the need for a vaccine.

That this House notes that Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is the most common cause of life-threatening infection in newborn babies in the UK and that, without preventative action, 1 in 1,000 newborn babies will develop GBS infection, of whom approximately 75 will die and 40 will survive with long-term problems;...

That this House welcomes the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Guideline No 36 on group B streptococcus (GBS); recognises that GBS is the UK's most common cause of life-threatening infection in newborn babies, causing septicaemia, pneumonia and meningitis in an estimated 700 babies per year, killing 100 of these sick babies and leaving 35 survivors with long-term problems including brain damage; recognises that the implementation of the Guideline throughout UK maternity units would significantly reduce the incidence of neonatal GBS infection; calls on the Government to ensure that this guideline is used to inform every maternity unit's protocol for preventing GBS infection; and further calls on the Government to make reliable tests for diagnosing GBS colonisation, as recognised in the Guideline and as available in other European countries, the US and Australasia, available to pregnant women in the UK, so that more pregnant women whose babies are at raised risk from GBS can be identified and more of these devastating infections can be prevented.

That this House welcomes the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Guideline No 36 on group B streptococcus (GBS); recognises that GBS is the UK's most common cause of life-threatening infection in newborn babies, causing septicaemia, pneumonia and meningitis in an estimated 700 babies per year, killing 100 of these...

That this House notes that an estimated 3,500 mothers in the UK in the last five years have suffered the pain and trauma of their baby developing life-threatening Group B Streptococcal (GBS) infections, including septicaemia, pneumonia and meningitis; further notes that approximately 500 of these sick babies have died, and a further 200 of the survivors have been left with consequences including brain damage; recognises that GBS infections and deaths can be drastically reduced by adopting screening programmes for all pregnant women and taking precautionary action, usually giving intravenous anti-biotics during labour to women found to carry GBS and those with recognised risk factors; understands that screening programmes and other measures have been adopted and found to work in other European countries and the US; and calls on the Government to investigate instigating similar schemes in the UK as a matter of urgency.

That this House notes that an estimated 3,500 mothers in the UK in the last five years have suffered the pain and trauma of their baby developing life-threatening Group B Streptococcal (GBS) infections, including septicaemia, pneumonia and meningitis; further notes that approximately 500 of these sick babies have died, and...