July is International GBS Awareness Month!
About International Group B Strep Awareness Month
This year is the 22nd year of July as International Group B Strep Awareness Month is being observed. It was created to bring awareness of group B strep to the general public. Since then it has been a focal opportunity for organizations and individuals around the world to tell their stories, share information, and promote healthy outcomes for babies worldwide.
What is Group B Strep?
Group B Streptococcus (GBS), also known as group B strep, Streptococcus agalactiae, Strep B, or Beta Strep, is a type of bacteria that is naturally found in the digestive and lower reproductive tracts of both men and women.
About 1 in 4 pregnant women “carry” or are “colonized” with group B strep (GBS). Carrying GBS does not mean that you are unclean or have poor hygiene. Anyone can carry GBS. GBS is not considered to be a sexually transmitted disease or infection as it can occur on its own even in someone with no prior sexual experience. However, bacteria can be passed between sexual partners, including through oral contact. (For more info on this, please read the medical articles on our website under Sex & GBS.)
Unfortunately, babies can be infected by GBS before birth and up to about 6 months of age due to their underdeveloped immune systems. GBS most commonly causes infection in the blood (sepsis), the fluid and lining of the brain (meningitis), and lungs (pneumonia). Some GBS survivors experience handicaps such as blindness, deafness, and mental challenges, and/or cerebral palsy. Only a few babies who are exposed to GBS become infected, bit GBS can cause babies to be miscarried, stillborn, or become very ill and sometimes die after birth.
How Do You Get GBS?
Group B strep (GBS) is a type of bacteria that is naturally occurring in the digestive and lower reproductive tracts of both men and women. GBS is not considered to be a sexually transmitted disease or infection as it can occur on its own even in someone with no prior sexual experience. However, bacteria can be passed between sexual partners, including through oral contact.
Carrying GBS is not a sign of poor hygiene and illness.
Anyone can carry GBS. However, those at the most risk for GBS infection are infants, adults with some chronic medical conditions and the elderly.
How Can My Baby Become Infected By GBS?
A GBS infection in your baby from birth through the first six days of life is more likely if:
You tested GBS positive in your urine or GBS swab test during this pregnancy
Your baby was born before 37 weeks (preterm)
Your water has been broken 18+ hours without delivering
You have a fever during labor
You previously had a baby who developed a GBS infection​
These steps can help reduce the risk of early-onset GBS disease:
Have your urine cultured early in pregnancy for GBS as well as other bacteria and, if GBS- in your urine, have a swab test for GBS during your 36th or 37th week of pregnancy
If you are GBS+ in either your urine or swab test, or have previously had a baby with a GBS infection, having IV antibiotics for GBS when your water breaks or your labor starts (unless you are having a C-section done before your water breaks and your labor starts).
Currently, there are no proven prevention methods for prenatal and late-onset GBS disease, so being aware of the signs of a GBS infection can make a difference!
In some cases, group B strep is able to cross intact membranes reaching the baby in the womb (prenatal-onset). It is thought that babies are most often infected with GBS as they pass through the birth canal (early-onset). Once born, GBS disease can be caused by sources other than the mother (early or late-onset). GBS can be passed through skin-to-skin contact which is why handwashing is so important! It is speculated that a few late-onset and recurrent GBS infections are possibly associated with infected breast milk.
There are currently no prevention protocols in place to help prevent prenatal and late-onset GBS disease. However, being able to recognize the signs of GBS infection in babies is imperative for prompt medical treatment for better outcomes.
Fast Facts
- About 1 in 4 pregnant women “carry” or are “colonized” with group B strep
- There are three types of perinatal GBS disease, each with their own prevention challenges:
Prenatal-onset GBS disease (before birth)
Early-onset GBS disease (birth through the first 6 days of life)
Late-onset GBS disease (7 days of age through usually 3 months of age) - GBS is a leading cause of sepsis and meningitis in newborns according to the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- It is now the standard of care in several countries for all pregnant women to be routinely tested for GBS with a vaginal/rectal swab test during the 36th or 37th week during each pregnancy unless their urine already cultured positive in the current pregnancy
- GBS is a transient bacteria which means that a woman could test negative, but be colonized later in pregnancy and vice versa
- GBS is a fast-acting type of bacteria so it is imperative that everyone who takes care of your baby knows the symptoms of possible GBS infection in babies and how to respond.
More Information
- Learn how to help protect your baby from Group B Strep disease from before birth through early infancy! Group B Strep International Organization has a downloadable GBS brochure here.
- Recognize the symptoms of infection! GBS is a fast-acting type of bacteria so it is imperative that everyone who takes care of your baby knows the symptoms of possible GBS infection in babies and how to respond.
