July | 2020 | Dr Ramirez

July 2020: GBS Awareness

July 17, 2020

Greetings and happy July to all! As we persist into the seventh month of 2020, let us not forget take care of ourselves, maintain our personal well-being, and try to be positive amid these uncertain times. After all, the flora and fauna are thriving, the sun is shining, and the weather is pleasant.

group b strep disease month july 2020

For the month of July, we would like to feature Group B Strep (GBS) Awareness Month. Group B Streptococcus (Group B strep, GBS) is bacteria that can appear and disappear normally in the body and is not usually toxic to the carrier but for babies, it can be harmful. The Group B strep disease is commonly known to cause severe infection in newborns both before birth and up to 6 months of age due to their immature immune systems. Although not every baby who is exposed to GBS will become infected, for those who do, it can be devastating to them. GBS can cause miscarriage, stillborn and premature births, acute illness, and GBS may cause fatalities.

It is of the upmost importance that pregnant women ensure that they have regular screenings that can help detect this illness that they may carry onto their unborn. If a woman is shown to have this bacteria, their physician can prescribe them antibiotics during labor to decrease the bacteria in their system. Currently, there is not a vaccine for GBS. We hope that perhaps in the near future, a vaccine will be developed to help babies around the world who are at risk of contracting this bacteria and run the risk of illness.

gbs july 2020