Pregnant women invited to support Group B strep vaccine study

Researchers at St George’s Hospital investigating the best time to offer a new vaccine to pregnant women invite local mums-to-be to support the Group B strep vaccine study, with the aim of protecting babies from infection after birth.

Group B streptococcus is usually harmless in adults but it can be very dangerous to unborn and newborn babies. It is responsible for nearly half of all life-threatening infections in newborn infants during the first three months of life. It can also sometimes cause miscarriages, premature births and stillbirths. In November 2021, the World Health Organization reported the urgent need for a global vaccine to be developed against Group B strep.

St George’s Vaccine Institute Centre for Neonatal and Paediatric Infection has specific expertise in facilitating clinical vaccine trials for maternal and neonatal care. Professor Paul Heath, UK Chief Investigator based at the Vaccine Institute at St George’s, says: “Group B strep is the most important cause of infections, including meningitis, in young infants. It is clear that we need an effective vaccine for pregnant women to prevent this infection. With this in mind, we are inviting pregnant women from the London and Southampton areas to help us test this promising vaccine.”

For further information on this vaccine research study, contact mvx0004trial@sgul.ac.uk or call the maternity research team at St George’s Hospital on 0208 725 388.