A Suffolk mother of two, campaigner and ambassador for the charity Group B Strep Support is set to discuss and talk about the complaint to sixth formers in Bury St Edmunds next week.
Ame Jenkins, who lives in Rickinghall, is to speak to students at King Edward VI School, on Monday, and is also planning a fundraising charity event at Nowton Park, on August 12.
Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a normal bacterium which is carried by 20% to 40% of adults and effects pregnant woman and babies.
Approximately one in 1,000 babies carry GBS and one baby a week dies and one baby a week will have life term condition from a preventable infection.
The 26-year-old said: “I am fortunate enough to have my daughter Lilee, who is seven and who was born with GBS and contracted newborn meningitis septicaemia. It’s been a difficult road but she is here and healthy now.
“If only I had known of it and how it is completely preventable by a mere swab and local antibiotics during labour.
“There has been a huge progression in raising much needed awareness on GBS and recently a new leaflet about GBS has been made with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
“It will be given to all pregnant women as part of their routine antenatal.
“This is phenomenal for us and I am keen to promote it even further.”
She said her eldest daughter is fully recovered from the illness but has a low immune system.
“We are one of the only countries in the world that does not test for GBS and I want to talk to the students at the school as they are going to be our future midwives, doctors and nurses.
“I’m also hosting a charity day in Nowton Park next month and I hope that we will be able to raise funds for the charity,” said Ame who has another daughter Ellyse, who is 16-months-old and who is healthy and well.
GBS can occasionally cause infection, most commonly in newborn babies, sometimes in adults and, very rarely, during pregnancy and before labour.
It is not a sexually transmitted disease and there are two types of GBS infection in newborns: early and late-onset.
On average in the UK, at least two babies a day develop a group B Strep infection, one baby a week dies from their GBS infection and one baby a week survives with long-term disabilities – physical, mental or both.
For more information go to the website https://gbss.org.uk/info-support/pregnancy-and-birth/what-is-group-b-strep/
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