Group B Strep: A Threat to Newborns That Doesn't Have to Be

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"There's increasingly a clearly felt imperative to make a vaccine for Group B strep available for pregnant women," McGregor said.

There are a couple of candidate vaccines that have been identified, but research on them has ground to a halt, because no drug company is interested in pursuing them, he said. In effect, the Group B strep vaccine has become an "orphan" of medical science.

"We need to change our policies about 'orphan' vaccines and 'orphan' therapies," providing incentives and encouragement for research, McGregor said.

Finally, McGregor and Baker believe doctors need to better explain the GBS test at the time it is administered, so women with the bacterium understand that they need antibiotics and know to ask for them.

"If you say, 'I am group B strep positive, I need my antibiotics,' people will be responsive to you," Baker said. "We need to explain the test to the woman. Then she can really help advocate for the right thing being done in a timely fashion."

More information

To learn more, visit Group B Strep International.