subject: Contact A Birth Injury Lawyer If Your Infant Was Injured By Gbs Meningitis [print this page] Group B Strep is the most frequent cause of sepsis and meningitis (a significant illness of the fluid of the spinal cord and the fluid surrounding the brain) in newborns. Group B Strep is a bacterial infection that may affect an infant if the mother is a carrier and passes it during childbirth.
The bacteria usually germinates in the vagina and/or the lower intestine. It is found in about 1 out of every 4 adult women. However, it does not normally lead to an active infection or bring about symptoms. Transmission from mother to the child typically takes place in the course of labor and delivery. The child can be exposed to GBS, as an example, if the bacteria moves up from the mother's vagina into the uterus after the membranes (bag of water) break. The baby may likewise be exposed to GBS while passing down through the birth canal. During this period, the baby can consume or breathe in the bacteria.
About 75% of cases of GBS in newborns take place during the first week after birth, and most show up within a few hours following birth. This is called "early onset" group b strep. The rest develop a GBS infection at anytime from one week to several months after delivery. This is referred to as "late onset." According to reports, approximately fifty percent of cases of late onset may be linked to the newborn's mother having been colonized with the bacteria. In the remaining instances of late onset, the source of the infection is unidentified.
Once the newborn comes into contact with the bacteria, it can travel to the newborn's bloodstream. This may induce sepsis (overpowering infection throughout the body), pneumonia, or meningitis. These are all dangerous illnesses that may advance rapidly and leave the child with lifelong disabilities or might bring about the newborn's death. Several typical likely disabilities are: brain damage, cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness, and seizure disorders.
Common symptoms of meningitis include: a high fever, lethargy, unusual irritability, trouble feeding, stiffness, vomiting, and rashes. Because the infection can advance quickly quick treatment is necessary to prevent serious harm to the infant. For bacterial based meningitis (such as gbs related meningitis), treatment calls for the speedy use of intravenous IV and antibiotics. A diagnosis of meningitis is made by removing a sample of spinal fluid from a spinal tap and culturing the bacteria for accurate identification. This is important in order to determine the proper antibiotic to be used. The outcome of the test might take a few hours. In the time it takes for the results, the infection could bring about permanent damage or kill the child.
Given the immediacy required, treatment commonly starts ahead of a verified diagnosis if meningitis is a possible explanation for the baby's symptoms. Penicillin is the most broadly administered treatment.
If a child died or endures from permanent disabilities that were avoidable apart from the failure on the part of a physician to recognize signs of GBS meningitis or to provide immediate treatment that doctor may be liable for malpractice. The mothers and fathers of children thus harmed by GBS meningitis need to contact a birth injury attorney without delay as the law allows only a limited amount of time to pursue a birth injury claim.
by: Joseph Hernandez
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