Group B Strep Awareness Month is over for another year – but what a month we had!
As always, it would not have been a success without the incredible support of our group B Strep community. Thank you all for sharing your stories and information about GBS far and wide.
Families sharing their own group B Strep experiences
Jasmine (pictured) lost her son, Rhodi, to a GBS infection in January 2024, which has profoundly impacted her family.
She believes all pregnant women and birthing people need to be made aware of group B Strep by their midwife or doctor. Jasmine supports routine testing for group B Strep in the UK and is calling for change.
She says: ‘It’s frustrating. Group B Strep should be discussed at your antenatal appointments and every person should be tested.’
Share your Story
Sharing your story helps so many people realise they are not alone and helps other families reach out for support. If you bravely told your story, thank you.
New GBS Data on Awareness, Knowledge and Beliefs of Pregnant Women and People
Nine in ten new or expectant mums believe testing for group B Strep should be routinely available on the NHS.
The new data is from a Savanta survey commissioned by GBSS for Group B Strep Awareness Month.
Group B Strep testing is usually only offered on the NHS to pregnant women and pregnant people who tested positive in a previous pregnancy where their baby did not develop the infection. However, even this isn’t available in all NHS hospitals.
Over eight in ten UK mums said they’d want to be tested for group B Strep on the NHS but of those, seven in ten said they weren’t aware or hadn’t been told about the option of private testing.
Yellow and Blue GBS Awareness Floods Social Media
We had a huge number of families, health professionals and charities share our information and resources across their networks, which is so important. This helped educate and empower new and expectant parents to make informed decisions about their and their baby’s care.
We shared the facts on:
- What group B Strep is and dispelled the common myths
- The signs of early-onset and late-onset GBS infection to look out for in your baby
- Testing and treatment
- Personal GBS stories from families
Missed some info? Catch up below…
Powerful Podcasts
Our CEO, Jane Plumb, appeared on the Mama Academy and UK Sepsis Trust podcasts talking all things group B Strep.
Mama Academy
She chatted to host and MAMA CEO, Heidi Eldridge, about all things group B Strep including:
- What every expectant parent should know
- How to reduce the risk of group B Strep in your baby
- Options for testing & much more!
UK Sepsis Trust – Sepsis Voices
Jane and UKST Founder & Joint CEO, Dr Ron Daniels, discussed:
- Jane’s family’s story
- What expectant parents should know about Group B Strep – including managing the infection risk to newborns during pregnancy; labour and the early months after birth
- GBSS’s campaign for better data collection, and much more!
Media Coverage
Louise Martin’s son, Joshua, sadly died at 8 months old after suffering brain damage due to a group B Strep infection.
She’s now calling for routine GBS testing for pregnant women saying: ‘I believe Joshua would still be here with us, experiencing a happy, healthy life if GBS infection was diagnosed earlier.’
Our CEO, Jane Plumb, said: ‘Understanding group B Strep and the availability of antenatal testing can make a life-changing difference.
Knowledge is power and, in the case of group B Strep, it is a vital tool that can prevent tragedies like the loss of Joshua.’
