Mum hopes Strep B vaccine trial can save babies across the world

HomeNewsUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessWorld of BusinessTechnology of BusinessNYSE Opening BellTechnologyWatch DocumentariesArtificial IntelligenceIntelligence RevolutionAI v the MindTech NowHealthWatch DocumentariesCultureWatch DocumentariesFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsWatch DocumentariesArts in MotionTravelWatch DocumentariesDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListTo the Ends of the Earth EarthWatch DocumentariesScienceNatural WondersClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoWatch DocumentariesBBC MaestroDiscover the WorldLiveLive NewsLive SportDocumentariesSite searchHomeNewsSportBusinessTechnologyHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesWeatherNewslettersMum hopes Strep B vaccine trial can save babies across the world1 hour agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleCharlie Stubbsin English FranktonCharlie Stubbs / BBCMenna gave birth to her third child after having an experimental Strep B vaccine Five years ago, first-time mum Menna Hulme had to be given antibiotics intravenously during labour to make sure she and her baby were safe.

She was found to have Group B Streptococcus (GBS) in her pregnancy, an infection that affects one in 1,750 babies in the UK and kills one a week.

While expecting her third child, Hulme became the first woman in Europe to sign up to a vaccine trial, run by Prof Will Parry-Smith from Keele University, in an attempt to mitigate the effects of GBS.

Hulme, from English Frankton, in north Shropshire, said she hoped that, following her own experience, the trial would lead to a widely available vaccine to help fight the bacteria in childbirth.

Babies can contract GBS from the mother by ingesting the bacteria as they pass through the birth canal, and IV antibiotics are used to combat that.

When pregnant with her first child, Hulme said she did not know what GBS was, but small traces were flagged during a urine test at her first midwife appointment.

She was later swabbed and told it was GBS.

"There is no routine screening for it as such. From my experiences it was just by chance that it was picked up with our first pregnancy very early," she said.

"I was a first-time mum, wanting to have as much of a natural labour as I could."

She said having IV antibiotics was not what she wanted, but added it "was the safest option".

After her diagnosis, Hulme said she had felt a lot of uncertainty around her pregnancy and the baby's birth.

"With your first pregnancy, you are a bit naive about everything, so you you have to go by what healthcare professionals tell you and advise you," she said.

"If you are 12 to 16 weeks into your first pregnancy and you're told you've got Group B Strep bacteria, straight away you are pretty daunted by it.

"When you actually go into labour, there is not much you can actually do about it other than… [take the] antibiotics you're going to be given in labour as a precaution."

Hulme had her second child by Caesarean section, which lessened the risks of the the baby contracting GBS.

However, while pregnant with her third child, Hulme found out about a world-first vaccine trial for GBS, run by Parry-Smith.

"We all met and sat and talked about [the trial] and went through what was involved," Hulme said.

"I was reassured that it was as safe as can be for me, so with my experience and knowing what it can do, then it just made sense for us to take part."

Joining the trial made Hulme the first woman in Europe to take part in the project.

She got her vaccine at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, when she was 34 weeks pregnant.

However, being the first also meant Hulme could not see how other patients had fared.

She said she would not want to take any risks with her baby's health, but knew "we were as safe as we could be with doing this trial vaccine".

"GBS itself has plenty of risks involved anyway and quite serious illnesses with babies," she added.

According to the National Institute for Health and Care Research, there are about 4,000 babies a year delivered at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust from mothers with GBS and more than 60,000 across the wider West Midlands.

Now, the researchers are calling on pregnant woman to join the trial, which they hope could prevent many infant deaths and stillbirths.

"[In] Shropshire, people are very keen to take part in vaccine studies, in part because the population is used to the concept of vaccine," Parry-Smith said.

"We have open days where we let pregnant women know about vaccines, we contact them via their midwife and our research team, and invite them to take part in a whole number of research projects.

"We were very privileged to have not just Menna, but many women in Shropshire who selflessly will take part in research.

"It is really to drive care for future pregnant mothers and families rather than themselves."

Parry-Smith added the trial could potentially help solve a global problem.

"It is also really important that we support the development of this vaccines [can help babies] in low and middle income countries where the health services are not so developed," he said.

"We can prevent infection rather than trying with limited resources to treat already sick babies."

Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.