Group B Streptococcus
Posted by Babies - 14/01/09 at 06:01 amGroup B Streptococcus
This disease is a very uncommon. Yearly throughout the world only seven hundred babies get affected by this disease. It is generally known by the acronym of GBS.
The disease may prove to be fatal to a large number of infants who get affected by this and many more suffer from long term problems. Generally a large number of the population, almost about 30 percent carries the virus strep B, but it does not cause any harm.
The problem occurs when the bacteria comes in contact with a week immune system, it cause threat. Generally the immune system of a new born baby is weak, thus if it gets contaminated with the bacteria, it may be life threatening to the baby. The problem with the disease is highly complicated.
All the mothers carrying the bacteria do not pass it on to their kids. Only fifty percent of the carriers transmit the bacteria to their child and only one percent of the children carrying the bacteria can actually get affected by the disease. Some babies who may be prone to the disease are the ones who are delivered prematurely even before 37 weeks.
The kids of the mothers having high body temperature at the time of delivery, mothers with ruptured membranes for long hours (18 hours) before delivery, mothers tested positive with the bacteria at any time during pregnancy. These are special cases and the mothers should be treated with antibiotics in labor according to the prescription of the gynecologists.
