Prenatal Infection Prevention Month Advocates Awareness of Life-Threatening Infections for Unborn Children
1 in 4 women is infected with potentially dangerous Group B Strep (GBS) while they are pregnant, yet many aren’t aware they are infected or never even hear of this common infection until it is too late for their unborn baby. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the leading cause of mental retardation and hearing loss in newborns (even more than Downs Syndrome), yet only 14% of pregnant women are aware it exists. As a result, many avoidable or treatable infections contracted during pregnancy are causing miscarriages, life-long handicaps, stillbirths, premature births, and life-threatening illnesses in babies.
Prenatal Infection Prevention Month is designed to inform pregnant women in Florida and throughout the United States that there are many common and potentially dangerous infections that they may be passing to their unborn children — infections that may be going undiagnosed because their doctors simply haven’t tested for them. The complaint that doctors have failed to inform their patients of how to avoid infections in the first place is all too common. In some cases, even when tests have been performed, false-negatives have resulted in devastating results for unborn children.
Group B Strep International stresses that being an advocate for your unborn child is essential. Being informed and proactive with your doctor or OB/GYN is one of your best defenses against potentially fatal infections.
If you are pregnant, it is your doctor’s duty to test for any infections that may endanger your unborn child and to inform you of any potential threats that may lead to complications. If your child was harmed in any way due to any pre-natal infection and you believe negligence or the failure to diagnose is to blame, please call a Farah & Farah Sarasota County birth injury attorney at (800) 533-3555.
Sources: http://www.stopcmv.org/en/public/learn/; http://www.groupbstrepinternational.org/
