Our birth injury lawyers handle cases involving Group B streptococcus. This is a bacterial infection that can cause significant injury and damage to a newborn. There are occasions in which this infection should have diagnosed and treated earlier and harm to the newborn could have been prevented. In those circumstances, there may be a lawsuit for Group B streptococcus (GBS).
Group B streptococcus (GBS) is a kind of bacterial infection found in pregnant woman’s rectum or vagina. The bacteria commonly occurs in the lower intestine or vagina of 15-40% of all healthy women.
Women who are tested positive for Group B streptococcus (GBS) are called colonized. During delivery, GBS can be passed to the newborn. In the United States, GBS affects 1 in every 2,000 newborns. However, it is not necessary for every baby born to a mother who is GBS positive to become ill.
While Group B streptococcus (GBS) is quite rare in pregnant women, it can have severe consequences. For this reason, physicians commonly test pregnant women for GBS as a routine part of the prenatal care.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends routine screening for vaginal strep B for every pregnant woman. The screening is commonly performed between the thirty-fifth and thirty-seventh week of pregnancy as this is the most significant time to see if the woman carries GBS at the time of delivery.
In order to perform the test, a swab of vagina and rectum is taken to the lab where it is analyzed for GBS presence. Results are normally handed over in 1-2 days.
Anyone who tests positive for Group B streptococcus (GBS) is a carrier. It is not necessary for a child to become ill if the mother carries GBS. According to estimates, one of every 100-200 babies will develop symptoms of GBS disease if all their mothers carry GBS. Some symptoms, however, do indicate that you run a greater risk of passing GBS to your baby. These include:
In any of these cases, your physician would prescribe antibiotics for prevention of passing GBS. According to CDC estimates, if you carry Group B streptococcus (GBS), but are not at high risk of passing it on, then the chances of having GBS delivered to the baby are:
It may affect a child socially, academically, and vocationally throughout childhood and even into adulthood. The child may require physical therapy, medical procedures, and other services that can be a significant expense over the course of his or her lifetime. These types of damage requests are included in a medical malpractice lawsuit filed for the condition.
If your child a GBS infection due to doctor negligence, reach out to a Michigan Group B streptococcus lawyer for help in filing a lawsuit. We do not take any fee unless you win.
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