To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) incidence and (b) rate per 1,000 live births of group B streptococcal infection has been in babies aged (i) 0 to six days and (ii) seven to 90 days in each strategic health authority since 1997. (188906)

[holding answer 25 February 2008]: We do not collect this information centrally. The incidence rate of confirmed early-onset Group B streptococcal (GBS) infection in the newborn in the UK has been estimated from recent studies to range from 0.48-0.6 per 1,000 live births. There are about 600,000 live births in England each year.

A study of confirmed cases, published in 2003 by the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (RCOG), identified 311 cases of early onset Group B streptococcus in England a year (0.5 per 1000 live births), of which 39 died. Since then, RCOG has produced “Prevention of Early Onset Neonatal Group B Streptococcal Disease in UK Obstetric Units: An audit of reported practice in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland”, which is available from the RCOG website.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on (a) the incidence and (b) the rate per 1,000 live births of group B Streptococcal infection in babies aged (i) 0 to 6 days and (ii) 7 to 90 days in each strategic health authority area since 1997. (181924)

We do not collect this information centrally. The incidence rate of confirmed early-onset group B Streptococcal infection in the newborn in the United Kingdom has been estimated from recent studies to range from 0.48-0.6/1,000 live births. There are about 600,000 live births in England each year. A study published in 2004 of confirmed cases, identified 311 cases of early onset group B Streptococcus in England a year (0.5 per 1,000 live births) of which 39 died.