New photo All expectant mothers should be tested for killer GBS bacteria, activists say

Campaigners say testing pregnant women for a bacteria that kills dozens of babies a year would easily pay for itself by saving the NHS a fortune in compensation.

About 35 infants die every year after becoming infected with Group B Streptococcus (GBS), a common bacteria that can be passed from mother to child in labour.

A further 25 are left with serious disabilities including brain damage, sometimes resulting in compensation payouts of over £10 million.

The NHS gives antibiotics to pregnant women deemed at high risk of having GBS, but critics say many are missed. The Health Department said it was investigating trialling universal screening for GBS [File photo]

The Government’s UK National Screening Committee last year rejected a programme to swab all pregnant women for GBS and give antibiotics to those who tested positive on the grounds it was not ‘cost-effective’. 

But the charity Group B Strep Support and lawyers say the committee failed to assess the cost to the NHS of legal fees and compensation.

The lawyers believe that avoiding just one or two tragedies each year would save more than the cost of the tests. 

Alison Eddy, head of medical negligence at law firm Irwin Mitchell, said: ‘It’s hard to imagine GBS cases are costing the NHS less than £10 million in compensation and legal fees a year.’

A GBS swab would cost about £11, resulting in a total cost of about £8 million a year. 

Around a fifth of those tested would require antibiotics, something about which the screening committee is concerned.

Martha Rudd, ten, was left severely brain-damaged after doctors at Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford failed to detect GBS infection at birth. In 2016, the High Court awarded her parents a seven-figure sum to pay for her care.

About 35 infants die every year after becoming infected with Group B Streptococcus (GBS), a common bacteria that can be passed from mother to child in labour [File photo]

‘GBS has had a huge effect on Martha and our family, which could have been prevented if there had been routine screening in place,’ said her father, Adam, 40.

The NHS gives antibiotics to pregnant women deemed at high risk of having GBS, but critics say many are missed.

The Health Department said it was investigating trialling universal screening for GBS. 

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News Pictures All expectant mothers should be tested for killer GBS bacteria, activists say 

You don’t have to pack away your bikini just because you’re the wrong side of 20. These body-beautiful stars reveal their secrets to staying in shape and prove you can smoulder in a two-piece, whatever your age. Read on and be bikini inspired!

TEENS
Hayden Panettiere
Size: 8
Age: 18
Height: 5ft 1in
Weight: 8st

To achieve her kick-ass figure, Hayden – who plays cheerleader Claire Bennet in Heroes – follows the ‘quartering’ rule. She eats only a quarter of the food on her plate, then waits 20 minutes before deciding whether she needs to eat again.

Hayden says: “I don’t have a model’s body, but I’m not one of those crazy girls who thinks that they’re fat. I’m OK with what I have.”

Nicollette says: “I don’t like diets – I see it, I eat it! I believe in eating healthily with lots of protein, vegetables and carbs to give you energy.”

kim cattrall

Size: 10-12
Age: 52
Height: 5ft 8in
Weight: 9st 4lb

SATC star Kim swears by gym sessions with Russian kettle bells (traditional cast-iron weights) and the South Beach Diet to give her the body she wants. To avoid overeating, Kim has a radical diet trick – squirting lemon juice on her leftovers – so she won’t carry on picking.

Kim says: “I am no super-thin Hollywood actress. I am built for men who like women to look like women.”
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