Pregnant women and new mothers are not being given enough information about life-threatening group B strep, a charity has warned. A survey for the charity Group B Strep Support (GBSS) of 529 pregnant women and mothers who had a baby in the last two years found that 66% are not getting information from their healthcare professional about group B strep. Just 24% said they were given information by a health professional about the bacteria and 62% did not feel confident identifying symptoms of the potentially life-threatening infection in a baby. What is group B strep? It is a type of bacteria called streptococcal bacteria and can be found in both men and women. GBSS says around two to four out of every 10 women in the UK will carry group B strep in their rectum, vagina, or intestines, although most of them won’t experience any symptoms. It’s usually harmless, and even common in pregnancy, but there is a risk it could spread to your baby and make them ill. What happens if a baby gets it?Group B strep It’s the most common cause of life-threatening infection in newborn babies, and it can kill within hours.The charity says two babies a day develop the infection, one baby dies of it every week, and one baby a week recovers, but with a life-changing disability. It says most of these cases could be prevented. It can also lead to serious conditions including meningitis, sepsis and pneumonia. Why are there not more tests? The NHS does not routinely test for group B strep, though women can pay privately for a test (which costs around £40). It may be found during examinations for another reason, such as a vaginal swab. Group B Strep Support says many high-income countries routinely offer testing to all pregnant women, including the United States, Canada, Germany, France and Spain. However, the national screening committee ruled that tests cannot accurately distinguish between those mothers whose babies are at risk, and those who are not. It said this means that a large number of women would unnecessarily be offered antibiotics. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “There is currently insufficient evidence that the benefits of universal screening for Group B streptococcal infections could outweigh the harm. “However, there is an ongoing clinical trial into this screening, which is due to report in 2024, and the UK National Screening Committee will consider its results when complete.” Are there any signs in newborns? Symptoms of a group B strep infection can develop up to three months after birth. Go to A&E or call 999 if your baby is floppy and unresponsive, working hard to breathe, has very fast or slow breathing, unusually high temperature, changes to their skin colour, vomiting up milk, or has an unusually fast or slow heart rate.How is it treated?If you do get tested or you’ve had a baby who has been affected before, you may be advised to give birth in a hospital setting (rather than midwife-run birth centre or at home).Some women can have antibiotics in labour to cut the chance a baby will fall ill. You may be asked to stay in hospital for at least 12 hours after giving birth to monitor the baby, the NHS says. Newborn babies can be given antibiotics too. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Britney Spears: I worked my ass off to get my memoir written Emilia Clarke’s brain haemorrhage ‘profoundly changed our lives’, says star’s mother What is ‘bed rotting’ and is it actually self-care?

Formula One bosses have announced the longest calendar in the sport’s history with a record-breaking 24 races scheduled for next season. The campaign will open on a Saturday in Bahrain on March 2 and end more than 10 months later in Abu Dhabi on December 8. The British Grand Prix will take place at Silverstone on July 7, avoiding a clash with the men’s Wimbledon final, and the concluding day of golf’s Open Championship at Royal Troon. The Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai is also pencilled in for its first F1 race since 2019. F1 races traditionally take place on a Sunday, but next year’s schedule kicks off with back-to-back Saturday night races, first in Bahrain and then in Saudi Arabia, to accommodate Ramadan. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said: “There is huge interest and continued demand for Formula One, and I believe this calendar strikes the right balance between traditional races and new and existing venues. “Our journey to a more sustainable calendar will continue in the coming years as we further streamline operations as part of our Net Zero 2030 commitment. “We have plenty of racing to look forward to in 2023, including the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, and our fans can look forward to more excitement next season.” 2024 Formula One Calendar March 2 – Bahrain Grand Prix (Sakhir)March 9 – Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (Jeddah)March 24 – Australian Grand Prix (Melbourne)April 7 – Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka)April 21 – Chinese Grand Prix (Shanghai)May 5 – Miami Grand Prix (Miami)May 19 – Emilia Romagna Grand Prix (Imola)May 26 – Monaco Grand Prix (Monte Carlo)June 9 – Canadian Grand Prix (Montreal)June 23 – Spanish Grand Prix (Barcelona)June 30 – Austrian Grand Prix (Spielberg)July 7 – British Grand Prix (Silverstone)July 21 – Hungarian Grand Prix (Hungaroring)July 28 – Belgian Grand Prix (Spa-Francorchamps)August 25 – Dutch Grand Prix (Zandvoort)September 1 – Italian Grand Prix (Monza)September 15 – Azerbaijan Grand Prix (Baku)September 22 – Singapore Grand Prix (Marina Bay)October 20 – United States Grand Prix (Austin)October 27 – Mexico City Grand Prix (Mexico City)November 3 – Brazilian Grand Prix (Interlagos)November 23 – Las Vegas Grand Prix (Las Vegas)December 1 – Qatar Grand Prix (Lusail)December 8 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Yas Marina) Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The

A woman who noticed her food and drink was being stolen by her flatmates has revealed the lengths she took to get her own back. TikToker Sarah (@saatj32) opened up about the drastic measures she was forced to take, explaining in a video: "I had to poison my food because my flatmates kept stealing it." She then shared a recording of herself carrying out the act: opening a carton of organic British skimmed milk and pouring in the contents of a salt container. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter "People want to drink my milk and want to put it back," and added how she's going to see "whose who." After pouring in the salt, she can then be seen closing the carton and shaking it to mix the salt, before giving it a whiff and adding even more salt to the mixture. In the caption she wrote: "And I have absolutely no regrets and yes someone drank it." @saatje32 And I have absolutely no regrets and yes someone drank it #university #flatmates #freshers Since then, the video has been viewed more than 277,000 times and racked up hundreds of comments from people sharing similar experiences of sticky-fingered flatmates. One person wrote: "I like this, because when they go low, I go LOWER." "I literally told my one flatmate that I'm gonna put stuff in my food 'cause it keeps being taken. She ended up consuming it as if I didn’t warn her," said another. A third added: "This video is hilarious to me cause I basically have a video of me doing the exact same thing." Meanwhile, others shared what they would have done in the same situation. One said: "Add lemon juice and it will immediately curdle. Instantly ruins everything they’re making and you can deny doing anything." "Just salt? Should have put chicken grease and dyed it blue or sum for evidence," wrote another. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Climate change intensified the torrential rain and flooding that’s swept South Africa’s Western Cape over the past two

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 25, 2023--

Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee has signed a bill into law that would let state funds be used to pay for health insurance plans that cover state workers and Medicaid recipients seeking abortions

Smart home technology has come a long way in recent years, and Cyber Monday is

The Subway sandwich chain is near a deal to be acquired for more than $9 billion in a transaction that could be announced as soon as Wednesday, a...

A complaint of "anti-Semitism" was filed against Roger Waters in Argentina Wednesday as the former Pink Floyd frontman, on tour, accused "the Israeli lobby" of barring...

Many people want the healthiest pregnancy possible for their baby — and often they think that means doing it with as little medication as possible. But when it comes to antidepressants there may be more to consider, experts say.

Black Friday is about to go down, but there are some amazing early deals that