'Our newborn baby nearly died from Group B Strep'

'Our newborn baby nearly died from Group B Strep' Image caption, Leo was rushed to University Hospital Southampton after becoming floppy and lethargic By Kirsteen O'Sullivan South of England Laura and Matt welcomed their first child in February but at just three weeks old he suddenly became seriously unwell. Leo was floppy and lethargic so instinctively the couple rushed him to University Hospital Southampton (UHS) where he was found to have sepsis and meningitis caused by Group B Streptococcus (GBS). "The neurologist and all the specialists sat us down and said they didn't think that Leo was going to survive," the Southampton couple said.

GBS is common type of bacteria carried harmlessly by about one-in-four women, but it can be passed to babies during childbirth and can cause life-threatening infections. It is currently the leading cause of severe infection in newborn babies. "Everywhere in his brain was full of infection," Matt remembers.

"The best they said we'd be able to hope for is that he could breathe on his own, but he would be fed through a tube and be in a vegetative state." Image caption, Laura and Matt wanted to share their story to help raise awareness for other parents 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." Image caption, Bonnie's daughter Isobel has taken part in the trial Bonnie gave birth to her daughter Isobel four weeks ago and has taken part in the trial. She works in obstetrics and gynaecology and said she is well aware of the risks of GBS: "As parents, we want the best possible start for our child," she says. "I don't know whether Isobel and I received the vaccine or the placebo because it's a double-blind study.

"However, the fact that our contribution could lead to the development of a vaccine that can help others in the future is really meaningful for us." Leo has made a good recovery to date, but Laura and Matt said they will never forget the trauma of nearly losing their baby. They wanted to share their story to help raise awareness for other parents, and Laura says the vaccine offers hope. "If it saves one mum and one baby from going through what we went through, and if it's successful it could save thousands - I guess that's what all this is about." GBS - What to look for Occasionally, symptoms of a Group B Strep infection in a baby can develop up to three months after birth, and they may include: being floppy or not responding normally grunting when breathing, or working hard to breathe when you look at their chest or stomach very fast or slow breathing an unusually high or low temperature changes in their skin colour or blotchy skin not feeding well or vomiting milk up an unusually fast or slow heart rate Source: NHS , external Get in touch Your Voice

Source: BBC