Date:
Oct 01, 1996
The U. S. Public Health Service Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC) has issued guidelines recommending that all pregnant women be screened for Streptococcus B Infection (Strep B).
Strep B is a very serious bacterial infection threatening the health of 7,500 newborn babies each year in the USA. 6% of the infected babies die, often in the first week of life; of those infants who survive, 20% have brain damage, hearing loss or blindness. The infection is the most common cause in the newborn of sepsis (infection in the blood) and meningitis (infection of membranes covering the brain). The infant becomes infected during delivery, getting the infection from an unsuspecting mother who is often symptom free.
10 to 30% of pregnant women have a Strep B infection but have no symptoms. The infection spreads to the baby via amniotic fluid during labor and delivery. Risk of infection is highest among: babies whose mothers have a history of having had a Strep B infection in a previous baby; infants whose mothers are less than 20 years of age; and babies who are born 18 hours after the amniotic fluid breaks (the “water breaks”). African-American infants appear to be at much higher risk of infection then others.
The CDC recommends that all pregnant women be screened for Strep B infection between 35-37 weeks of pregnancy (7-8 months) and if found to be positive, be offered treatment with antibiotics.
Recommendations are also made for the treatment of women who are in labor and are: less than 37 weeks pregnant and have not been tested; or if their water breaks and they do not deliver within 18 hours; or have a fever of 100.4 F0 degree or more.
Comment
The consequences of Strep B infection of the newborn can be disastrous. Pregnant women need to be aware of this and discuss with their doctors the need for screening for infection, the treatment of infection, and treatment during delivery if they have not been screened. An ounce of prevention is surely better than a pound of cure — particularly if there is no “cure” for the brain injured infant.
Since vaginal infection is a cause of premature labor, another issue is under study: the routine testing of all pregnant women for vaginal infections of any type (e.g.: bacterial; trichomonas, etc.). There is important debate among experts about the usefulness of testing all pregnant women for vaginal infections in order to help prevent premature delivery. A research study is being conducted to learn if routine testing is effective for all pregnant women or should be considered only for pregnant women with other risk factors of delivering prematurely. We will keep you informed.
© UCP Research & Educational Foundation, October 1996
Most treatments for cerebral palsy (CP) are initially directed toward children. What is not clearly established is the long- term effects of such treatments. Many appear helpful in the short term but prove to be disadvantageous in the long run. Selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) is a permanent, irreversible neurosurgical procedure for reducing spasticity in cerebral palsy. Parents contemplating SDR for their child would like assurance that that there will not be harmful complications from it as the child ages into adolescence and adulthood. We now have new evidence...
My daughter had beta sttepp 22 years ago before testing was done on pregnant women.Today she is cognitively delayed and physically disabled. I used to advise every pregnant women I ran into to get tested for strepp.
I was so happy to see SEVERAL YEARS after my daughter was born that testing is now part of screening in most states for pregnant women. Cerebral Palsy in this case is truely something that is preventable. If you know someone that is pregnant and they do not get this screening make sure they question their doctor.
I think testing is working because I have not ran across another parent who has a child that has been ill due to Beta Strepp since my daughters birth and I am involved in a lot of support groups for special need families, volunteer with groups, i.e.