Dear HIFA colleagues,
I am forwarding a message below from our sister forum CHIFA (global child health) where we are discussing how to better meet the information needs of parents, health workers and policymakers on Group B Strep infections - and thereby reduce the burden of 150,000 stillirths and early infant deaths. So far we have exchanged 37 messages worldwide on this topic. Below is an update I forwarded to CHIFA to give you a sense of our discussion.
Read the messages: www.hifa.org/readchifa
Our landing page: www.hifa.org/gbs
HIFA/CHIFA Spotlights: www.hifa.org/spotlights
Join CHIFA www.hifa.org/joinchifa
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What a great discussion we are having! I have especially valued the exchanges between Marti and Kelli, and the valued contributions from many contributors worldwide.
This discussion is highly significant for CHIFA and HIFA not only because it is our first Spotlight (www.hifa.org/spotlights) and not only because this is such an important topic, but also because it is the first time we have had a sponsored discussion that has been led by people with lived experience. Marti and Kelli (and Dura) have generously shared their personal experience of loss due to GBS disease. This adds a powerful and human dimension to our exploration of this topic.
We have already touched on many of the six guiding questions for our discussion [ www.hifa.org/gbs ]:
1. WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE OF GBS DISEASE?
We warmly welcome further sharing of personal experience and also professional experience of GBS disease. We would especially like to hear from you if, like Marti, Kelli, and Dura, your life has been impacted by GBS disease. Also we would like to hear your professional experience as a health worker, for example if you have been involved in the care of a mother and baby affected by GBS disease.
2. WHAT IS THE SITUATION IN YOUR COUNTRY?
We have heard already from several countries: Canada, Ethiopia, Gambia, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria, United States. We look forward to hear more from these countries, and from other countries too.
3. WHAT CAN BE DONE TO REDUCE THE BURDEN OF GBS DISEASE?
We have noted that the WHO guideline (2024) recommends universal screening of mothers at 35-37 weeks, but this is currently only available in a few countries (eg US, Canada). What can be done to support countries to implement universal screening?
Some countries (such as the UK) have a risk-based approach whereby GBS screening is limited to women considered at high risk. To what extent does this approach protect women as compared with universal screening?
We have seen that early signs of illness in the newborn can be overlooked and that severe illness can develop with frightening speed. What can be done to recognise these symptoms earlier so that there is a higher chance of successful treatment?
4. WHAT DO PARENTS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GBS DISEASE?
5. WHAT DO HEALTH WORKERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GBS DISEASE?
Kelli addressed 4 and 5 eloquently in just a few words: "I wish every pregnant woman and every healthcare professional understood that a negative Group B Strep screening test does not eliminate the risk of Group B Strep disease*.* GBS colonization can change after screening, and while current screening and intrapartum antibiotics have saved thousands of babies’ lives, they do not prevent every case. Every newborn must still be carefully assessed, and any signs of illness should be treated with urgency because early-onset GBS disease can progress with remarkable speed."
Marti has enriched our conversation with her expertise on GBS gained though her leadership of our partner organisation Group B Strep International https://www.groupbstrepinternational.org/ I encourage you to explore their website.
6. WHAT ARE THE COMMON MYTHS ABOUT GBS DISEASE?
A few messages have touched on myths. We would welcome more on this topic. Can you help identify common myths about GBS, why and how they arise, and how they might be addressed?
Thank you again to everyone who has contributed to this discussion, and everyone who has been following it. We are now on day 4 of our 7-day conversation and I look forward to many more stimulating contributions.
Please send your thoughts by email to: chifa@hifaforums.org
You can review all messages here: www.hifa.org/readchifa
Thank you and best wishes, Neil
CHIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org
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