An estimated 2.7 million newborns die each year and Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is one of the leading causes. Early-onset disease can be prevented by antibiotics in labour but we do not yet know what the exact benefit is in many countries. This is important because we need to prevent unnecessary widespread antibiotic use that could affect baby’s gut flora for decades.
Use of intrapartum antibiotics for prevention of infant GBS disease varies by and within countries. By quantifying the number of countries that use antibiotics and learning how they are used, we hope to gain a clearer idea about what kinds of strategies could be implemented in low- and middle-income countries where the disease burden is the highest and antibiotic availability often scarce.
As an input for a global modelling exercise, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and the International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaegology, we invite you to join this online consultation to collect data on intrapartum antibiotic policy for the prevention of newborn GBS disease, and to define the impact of intrapartum antibiotics in infant early onset disease. We also hope to collect information on how many hospitals use existing policy and on colonisation and disease rates in countries where there is little published data.
If any participant has data to add to the survey, we would be delighted to acknowledge them as part of the intended publication group that will appear in pubmed.
The survey will be open until the end of April 2017, so please share widely!