New guidance was issued today on preventing a deadly bacterial infection in new-born babies.
The issuing of the guidance follows a call issued last week for pregnant women to be screened for group B streptococcus. Some 16,000 people signed a petition presented to the Department of Health.
The latest guidance does not call for screening but, it says, doctors should identify women whose babies are at increased risk of infection.
Antibiotics should be offered during pregnancy when high risk mothers are found, according to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance.
And the NHS should priorities the treatment of babies falling sick within three days of birth.
As well as Streptococcus, E.coli and other organisms can cause infection. As many as 25 per cent of infected babies do not survive these illnesses, NICE says.
Neonatology consultant Mark Turner, from Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: "The NHS needs to prioritise treatment for sick babies as well as ensure antibiotics are used sensibly."
Farrah Pradhan, a parent who helped develop the guidelines, said: “As a parent of two children that were both born prematurely, I know first-hand what a difficult and trying time this can be, especially if a baby also has a bacterial infection."
Professor Mark Baker, of NICE, said: “Early onset neonatal infection can be very serious and, at present, there is much variation in how it is managed, with sometimes unnecessary delays in recognising and treating sick babies.
"Many babies are receiving antibiotics needlessly, and consequently, there is concern that the effectiveness of antibiotics is being reduced because of the development of resistance to them."
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