Group B Strep

Group B Streptococcus is the UK's most common cause of life-threatening infection in newborn babies and of meningitis in babies under age 3 months.

On average in the UK, at least:

Two babies a day develop a GBS infection.

One baby a week dies from their GBS infection. 

One baby a week survives with long-term disabilities (physical, mental or both)

Yet most Group B Strep infections are preventable.

Group B Strep Support informs families & health professionals about Group B Strep to save tiny lives.

£5 - Will fund 100 leaflets on Group B Strep for pregnant women, families and health professionals. 

£20 - Will staff the GBSS helplines for one hour to provide support and information to families and health professionals.

£500 - Provides 50 comprehensive medical information packs to health professionals in UK maternity units. 

Our Story

This is the reason I am taking on running the 2022 London Marathon... 

My family have personally been supported by this charity. During my wife, Sarah's pregnancy with our daughter Ahnah, Group B Strep was picked up during a routine check at 24 weeks. Neither of us had heard of this infection, which were it to be passed to Ahnah during labour and birth could be potentially fatal. The team at GBS Support were fantastic. They helped us through a very confusing time. Ahnah arrived, healthy, and because of the knowledge of her risk, she was kept under observation in hospital for 24 hours. Thankfully the infection had not passed to her.

Two years later when Sarah was pregnant again with our son Harry. We decided to pay privately to test for the presence of GBS as this testing is not routinely available, or even talked about at appointments, with the NHS. Sarah tested positive once more. We were again lucky, when Harry arrived, despite needing closer observation and tests than Ahnah had, that the infection was not passed on to him either.

Not all families are so lucky.

Please help to raise awareness of the vital work GBS Support do.

Our story could have been so very different.

Thank you so much for your support, it really, genuinely means so much to us, and the GBS Support Charity.