Laura says when Leo was diagnosed, she was baffled: “I never quite understood at that point what Group B Strep was, and I think that’s the problem, there’s no awareness of it.
“There was nothing about it on the walls when we saw the midwife. No one tells you to look out for signs.”
Researchers at UHS are working on the development of a new vaccine for GBS.
Ten research facilities in the UK, including the John Radcliffe in Oxford, are taking part in a phase three trial, which means it is at a later stage of development with greater potential for success.
Professor Chrissie Jones, a paediatric infectious disease specialist at UHS, said: “In the UK, we don’t screen against Group B Strep. We offer antibiotics to those women who are known to carry GBS or have particular risk factors for it.
“Unfortunately, this can only protect against early onset infection occurring in the first week of life and doesn’t protect babies after that, so having a vaccine would be a real game changer.”