Group B Strep

[Woodd]

HI my child is 4 years old when she was born she was infected BT group B Strep. she was very poorly and was in hospital for 2 weeks. I don'tthink the doctors thought she would pull through but she did. I had no concerns about her development until about a year ago. which was when I noticed that she could pronounce certain sound she also has a word finding problem and a possible memory problem. my question is, is this linked to the infection at birth? I would be very grateful for any advice.

[GBSSadmin Partner Volunteer Group B Strep Support]

Hi,

I'm so pleased to hear your daughter recovered from her group B Strep infection, what a difficult time that must have been for you and your family.

We don't hold much information about long-term problems caused by group B Strep infection, since any after effects tend to be specific to the infection caused (e.g. Meningitis, Septicaemia, Pneumonia), rather than to group B Strep itself.

Unfortunately, in a small number of babies who recover from group B Strep infection, and up to a half of the survivors of group B Strep meningitis, will be left with long-term mental or physical handicaps as a result and in one out of every 8 of these babies, the handicap is severe.

If you have any concerns or questions about your daughter’s health, please ask your health professionals. They will have access to her full medical notes, and will be in a much better position to answer your question.

If you need more information about group B Strep itself, do call us on 01444 416176 or email us at [e-mail]. We're here to help.

[Bellalondon2012]

Hi my son was born with strep b and also was very poorly for those first 2 weeks. He is now 3 nearly 4 and struggles with finding words and his speech and memory too. I had recently started to wonder when it would get better as wasn't sure if it was due to age or the strep b infection. Reading your post now I'll definitely be making an appointment at the GP, coincidentally when we were discharged as a baby we were just told to watch and wait and see what affect it would have had on him.

[Woodd in reply to Bellalondon2012]

Hi thank you for you reply. I had an appointment with my GO yesterday who has referred my daughter to a community paediatrian. when I asked if there was a link between her difficulties and the strep b he didn't answer but he did talk about her birth and what happened so he must think there could be a link.

[Bellalondon2012 in reply to Woodd]

Thank you for the update I hope the paediatricians can help x

[JodieG]

My daughter almost died from Group B shortly after birth. She was pumped full of antibiotics intravenously that pretty much destroyed her digestive system but saved her life. She also had issues with words and letters at age 4 and her early years at school were difficult because she struggled to remember instructions or focus her attention but by the time she was 8 she could read better than most of her peers and is now 16, has 5 gcse passes and is doing well at college. We do expect a lot from very small children in the UK .....in many other countries children are taught via play in nursery settings until the age of 6 when formal schooling begins. One thing I found very helpful if I wanted her to remember something important was to make up a silly song with that information in it - she can still sing our old phone number and we haven't lived there in 8 years! Lots of children have these issues at this age and the discovery of Strep B in babies is still fairly recent - doctors just don't have enough scientific data to know if Strep B or the treatment is responsible. Keep talking, singing and interacting with your child at every opportunity....they are like sponges at this age absorbing everything until they are ready to express it.....then you won't be able to shut them up! I had 3 more children and they have all learned at different paces, enjoy this age and try not to worry.