Group B Strep is the most common cause of life-threatening infection in newborn babies. Our attendance at conferences for health professionals involved in maternity care is key to raising their knowledge and awareness about preventing group B strep infection. In 2015, Group B Strep Support aims to exhibit at 8 national maternity and healthcare conferences, attended by over 6000 delegates. We will have available free high-quality information packs to inform them and the families in their care.
41% of pregnant women have never heard of group B Strep, according to a 2013 Bounty Survey. However, it is the most common cause of life-threatening infection in newborn babies, and 1 in 10 of those infected will die. Most group B Strep infections are easily preventable. Almost 50% of midwives and student midwives surveyed at the 2013 Royal College of Midwives Conference said they felt they had inadequate information about group B Strep for themselves or to pass on to families in their care.
Our aim is for every new and expectant parent to be given high quality information regarding group B Strep by well-informed health professionals. We will provide free high-quality information materials to educate the health professionals attending these conferences and for them to pass to families, to help them make informed decisions about group B Strep prevention measures. These medical packs will include leaflets, posters, current guidelines and alert stickers for hand held pregnancy notes.
Lack of knowledge of group B Strep, the devastating infections it can cause and good preventative medicine means all too often babies are suffering from these infections unnecessarily. Good quality, accurate and up to date information materials will raise the levels of awareness of group B Strep among health professionals involved in maternity care. They can then inform the families in their care, so improving the prevention of preventable group B Strep infection in newborn babies.
