Joy from the sadness for Portaferry mother

Joy from the sadness for Portaferry mother

14 March 2012 - by CIARA COLHOUN

A BEREAVED Portaferry mum, who lobbied the government to introduce measures to protect babies from Group B Strep infection, has welcomed major progress in her campaign.

The Chief Medical Officer has confirmed that a steering group will be established to examine the impact of the infection on babies and to determine if a screening programme should be introduced.

The move is a direct result of the lobby launched by Jillian Boyd and her husband Andrew after the devastating loss of their baby girl Erin last March. Erin died due to Group B Strep infection, which is carried by up to 30 per cent of adults and which can be transferred to babies during labour.

After Erin’s death, Jillian was horrified to learn that Erin would most likely have survived if the infection had been detected and she had been given antibiotics during delivery.

This prompted her to lobby politicians about the benefits of a screening programme. She joined other bereaved parents, and parents of children who have been left profoundly disabled by Group B Strep, to promote awareness about the infection and ways of preventing cross-infection.

Jillian yesterday said she was overwhelmed to hear a steering group would now be set up with a view to addressing the threat of Group B Strep.

“I am very pleased that the Chief Medical Officer has taken the step both to establish the steering group and particularly to invite families to be involved so that this influential group can hear, first hand, how GBS has affected babies locally,” she said.

“Too many people are ignorant of the devastating impact GBS infection can have on unborn and newly born babies.

“It is my hope that through working with the Chief Medical Officer and other policy makers we will be able to raise awareness of Group B Strep and help prevent other families going through the tragedy we experienced.

“Having spoken publicly about our tragedy last summer, we then reached out to other affected families and together met with the Health Minister, Edwin Poots, to plead for change.

Jillian said she is hopeful the new steering committee will adopt a positive position on the benefits of a GBS screening programme for pregnant women and will make that view known to the UK National Screening Committee when the forthcoming public consultation opens.