Women's Health Specialist Library
 
 
National Library for Health
   
Group B Streptococcus online learning package    
     
 

Introduction
About GBS
Treating GBS disease
Signs of early-onset disease
Previous GBS-affected infant
Quiz
At risk but well infants
Frequently asked questions
Resources/Guidelines
 

Introduction - Postnatal management

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a bacterium that lives healthily in the vagina in approximately 15-30% of women in the UK. Usually GBS does not cause baby or mother any problems during childbirth, but in certain situations it can be the cause of serious neonatal infection.

This package provides information about GBS and reviews some common clinical scenarios when decisions may need to be made. Advice is based upon national, evidence-based clinical guidelines and, where strong research evidence is not available, the opinion of experts.

Please choose a link on the left for more information about various scenarios or learning resources.

This information is provided for health professionals caring for pregnant women and their partners, but may be of interest to women who are looking for detailed information about GBS. Members of the public should remember that all clinical situations are individual and the information provided here should be used in discussion with the doctor or midwife. The Royal College of Obstetricians has produced a patient information leaflet to explain the guideline on which this resource is based. This can be used by health professionals to inform discussion with patients and is available from

www.rcog.org.uk/resources/Public/doc/preventing_gbs_pi_0206.doc

http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=2037

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