Group B Streptococcus (group B Strep, or GBS) is the most common cause of life‑threatening bacterial infection in newborn babies in the UK. It can cause sepsis, pneumonia and meningitis – most babies can be successfully treated and make a full recovery but sadly some very sick babies will die, and others will recover with long-term disability.
Each year in the UK in babies aged 0-90 days:
- around 700–800 babies develop invasive GBS infection
- 2 babies a day become seriously ill
- around 1 baby a week dies
- around 1 baby a week survives with long‑term disability
Increasing incidence of group B Strep infections in babies in the UK and Republic of Ireland
The latest enhanced survey of the incidence of group B Strep infection reports a rise of 51% in the number of group B Strep infections in babies aged 0-90 days (and a 31% rise in the rate per 1,000 live births) in the UK and Republic of Ireland in the 13-month surveillance period during 2014-5 compared with 2000-1 (to 0.94 from 0.72 per 1,000 live births). You can read a summary of the 2014-5 study here, and a summary of the 2000-1 study here.
The number of babies who died from their group B Strep infection was no higher in 2014-5 than in 2000-1 (53), but more than twice as many survivors in 2014-5 were reported as having major, minor or possible disability at discharge (71) compared with 2000-1.
The increases are particularly shocking since, in between these two extensive studies, in 2003 the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists introduced their risk-based prevention guidelines. These guidelines had been expected to effect a fall in early-onset (0-6 days) GBS infections by 50-60%.
In the graph above, the potentially preventable early-onset group B Strep infections (in babies aged 0-6 days) are shown in the blue bar – the infections that the risk-based prevention strategy had been expected to reduce.
The rate of late-onset group B Strep infections (in babies aged 7-90 days), shown in the red bar, has also increased. Sadly, these late-onset GBS infections cannot currently be prevented.
In the future, a GBS vaccine will be developed to prevent most group B Strep infection – both early- and late-onset, as well as stillbirths and maternal infections – but this is still many years away. More needs to be done now to prevent GBS infections in newborn babies.
In countries that routinely screen pregnant women for group B Strep, such as the United States, the incidence has fallen dramatically since the introduction of prevention strategies:
As the graph above shows, intravenous antibiotics given in labour against group B Strep infection have been highly effective at reducing the incidence of early-onset group B Strep infection, but have had no impact on late-onset group B Strep infection. The rate of early-onset GBS infections in the US has fallen still further after 2008.
For 2016, the US national estimated rate for early-onset GBS infection was 0.22 per 1,000 live births and for late-onset 0.25 (click here). For 2014-5 in the UK and Republic of Ireland, the rates were 0.57 for early-onset and 0.37 for late-onset per 1,000 live births respectively.
For 2023, the US national estimated rate for early-onset GBS infection had falled still further to 0.18 per 1,000 live births and for late-onset 0.24 (click here). For 2023 in England, the nationally reported rate for early-onset GBS infection was 0.40 per 1,000 live births and for late-onset 0.24 (click here).
For the data series published by the UK Health Security Agency and its predecessors on the incidence of GBS bacteraemia (GBS detected from the blood) from 2001 onwards, please see below:
England: 2024 – Laboratory surveillance of pyogenic and non-pyogenic streptococcal bacteraemia in England: 2024 update UKHSA. HPR Volume 19 Number 11 27 November 2025
England: 2023 – Laboratory surveillance of pyogenic and non-pyogenic streptococcal bacteraemia in England: 2023 update UKHSA. HPR Volume 18 Number 11 12 December 2024
England: 2022 – Laboratory surveillance of pyogenic and non-pyogenic streptococcal bacteraemia in England: 2022 update UKHSA. HPR Volume 17 Number 14 21 November 2023
England: 2021 – Laboratory surveillance of pyogenic and non-pyogenic streptococcal bacteraemia in England: 2021 update UKHSA. HPR Volume 16 Number 13 30 December 2022
England: 2020 – Laboratory surveillance of pyogenic and non-pyogenic streptococcal bacteraemia in England: 2020 update UKHSA. HPR Volume 15 Number 19 23 November 2021
England: 2019 – Laboratory surveillance of pyogenic and non-pyrogenic streptococcal bacteraemia in England: 2019 PHE (serial online) HPR. 14(24): Bacteraemia. 22 December 2020
England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2018 – Laboratory surveillance of pyogenic and non-pyogenic streptococcal bacteraemia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2018: PHE (serial online) HPR. 13(41): Bacteraemia. 20 November 2019
England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2017 – Laboratory surveillance of pyogenic and non-pyogenic streptococcal bacteraemia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2017: PHE (serial online) HPR. 12(41): Bacteraemia. 17 May 2019
England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2016 – Voluntary surveillance of pyogenic and non-pyogenic streptococcal bacteraemia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2016: PHE (serial online) 2017 HPR. 11(41): Bacteraemia. 17 November 2017
England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2015 – Voluntary surveillance of pyogenic and non-pyogenic streptococcal bacteraemia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2015: PHE (serial online) 2016 HPR . 10(41): Bacteraemia. 25 November 2016
England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2014 – Voluntary surveillance of pyogenic and non-pyogenic streptococcal bacteraemia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2014 PHE (serial online) 2015 HPR. 9(41): Bacteraemia. 20 November 2015
England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2013 – Voluntary surveillance of pyogenic and non-pyogenic streptococcal bacteraemia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2013 PHE (serial online) 2014 HPR. 8(44): Bacteraemia 21 November 2014
England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2012 – Voluntary surveillance of pyogenic and non-pyogenic streptococcal bacteraemia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2012 PHE (serial online) 2013 HPR. 7(46): Bacteraemia
England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2011 – Pyogenic and non-pyogenic streptococcal bacteraemia, England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2011 HPR [serial online] 2012; 6(46): Bacteraemia
England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2010 – Pyogenic and non-pyogenic streptococcal bacteraemia, England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2010 HPR [serial online] 2011; 5(46): Bacteraemia
England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2009 – Pyogenic and non-pyogenic streptococcal bacteraemia, England, Wales and Northern Ireland:2009 HPR 2010;4(46):bacteraemia
England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2008 – Pyogenic and non-pyogenic streptococcal bacteraemias, England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2008 HPR 2009;3(49):bacteraemia
England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2007 – Pyogenic and non-pyogenic Streptococcal bacteraemia, England, Wales & Northern Ireland: 2007 HPR 2008; Vol 2 No 47.
England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2006 – Pyogenic and non-pyogenic Streptococcal bacteraemia, England, Wales & Northern Ireland: 2006 HPR 2007 Vol 1 No 45.
England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2005 – Pyogenic and non-pyogenic streptococcal bacteraemia, England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2005. Commun Dis Rep Wkly [serial online] 2006;16(46): Bacteraemia
England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2004 – Pyogenic and non-pyogenic streptococcal bacteraemia, England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2004. Commun Dis Rep Wkly [serial online] 2005;15(24): Bacteraemia
England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2003 – Pyogenic and non-pyogenic streptococcal bacteraemia, England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2003. Commun Dis Rep Wkly [serial online] 2004; 13(16): Bacteraemia
England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2002 – Pyogenic and non-pyogenic streptococcal bacteraemia, England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2002. Commun Dis Rep Wkly [serial online] 2003; 13(16): Bacteraemia
England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 2001 – Pyogenic and non-pyogenic streptococcal bacteraemia, England and Wales, 2001. Commun Dis Rep Wkly [serial online] 2002; 12(16): Bacteraemia
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