House of Commons – July 6, 2015

That this House supports the launch of the Why guess when you can test? campaign; hopes that this will raise much needed awareness of how to prevent an infection recognised to be the most common cause of serious infection in newborn babies; recognises that group B Streptococcus (GBS) causes septicaemia, pneumonia and meningitis, which all require intensive care and treatment; acknowledges that most of these infections in newborn babies could be prevented by identifying the mothers carrying the bacteria using the simple and accurate Enriched Culture Medium test and the targeted use of narrow spectrum antibiotics; is concerned that GBS infection rates have not fallen despite current guidelines being well implemented; and encourages pregnant women and health professionals to access information on how the devastating impact of group B strep infection can easily be prevented.