Rates of Congenital Syphilis During Pregnancy
SEP 04, 2024Alarming increases in the rates of congenital syphilis over the past five years has prompted a change in practice amongst providers to increase screening.
Read MoreA normal bacteria that’s harmless for pregnant women can cause severe disease in babies after delivery. That’s why physicians routinely screen for Group B Streptococcus, or GBS.
As many as four in 10 pregnant women (15-40%) have this bacteria in their gastrointestinal or genital tract. You won’t know it’s there because GBS typically causes no symptoms. But it becomes a problem if it is transmitted to baby during delivery.
While most babies survive GBS infection, there can be long-term effects. These can include permanent neurological effects such as seizures, hearing and vision loss, cerebral palsy and developmental delay.
That’s why it’s so important prevent GBS infection in baby by:
If baby does get a GBS infection, it can have early onset (birth to six days) or late onset (7 to 89 days), and is treated with antibiotics and supportive care. Screening and treatment during labor has significantly decreased the early GBS infection rates in neonates, by over 80%. Late onset GBS infection rates have remained the same.
Early GBS sepsis is when baby shows signs of infection, usually within 24 hours of delivery. Typically this will be sepsis, pneumonia, or meningitis. Signs of sepsis include:
Late GBS sepsis typically will manifest as bacteria in the blood or bacteremia. Typically, baby will have:
The sad news is that, while rare, some babies do succumb to GBS. The mortality rate is 2-3% in early onset and 1-3% in late onset in a baby born after 37 weeks. In a preterm delivery, the mortality rate is higher at 20-30% for early onset and 5-8% for late onset.
The good news is routine prenatal care with GBS screening and treatment is quite effective in preventing GBS infections in babies.
Learn more about CHI Health Maternity services.
Alarming increases in the rates of congenital syphilis over the past five years has prompted a change in practice amongst providers to increase screening.
Read MoreOne test that happens during pregnancy is often referred to as a GBS test. GBS stands for group B streptococcus.
Read MoreAfter nine months of pregnancy, you may be wanting to get your body back to some sort of normalcy. Learn how from one of our pelvic floor physical therapists.
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