2 million Chinese mothers carry strep bacteria that can be fatal to newborns, study finds
Worldwide study highlights extent of Group B Streptococcus, which can cause severe infections or even death in infants
Nearly 2 million pregnant women in China are estimated to be carrying a strain of bacteria that can cause severe health problems or even prove fatal to newborn babies, according to an international study.
The figure represents about 11 per cent of total annual births in China, and puts the country second globally in the number of pregnant women with Group B Streptococcus bacteria (GBS) after India, which has nearly 2.5 million, according to the research by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
GBS is carried by roughly 18 per cent of pregnant women and up to a third of healthy adults worldwide, but the infection is potentially lethal to newborns who have less developed immune systems.
While pregnant women carrying the bacteria may not show any symptoms, the strain can be passed on to newborn babies through the mother’s amniotic fluid or during childbirth.
GBS can cause severe infections such as septicaemia, pneumonia and meningitis in infants, which can result in babies being stillborn or dying soon after birth.