There are a number of diseases and bacteria that can pose a considerable risk to the health and possibly the life of an infant. One such bacteria is the group b strep bacteria. It might be transmitted from the pregnant woman to the child during childbirth. As a result doctors usually concur that a newborn who displays indications which could be the result of a GBS infection when the mother had tested positive for the bacteria throughout the pregnancy needs to have the proper antibiotics given right away. A delay in treatment may bring about severe and irreversible damage to the infant.
Babies suffering from a group b strep infection initially are likely to show symptoms which can be non-specific for GBS. This is a reason why physicians need to consider it as a differential diagnosis when signs that could due to a group b strep Infection are present in an infant. A number of cases have resulted from a physician’s failure to do this and mothers and fathers whose infant was harmed under such circumstances must consult a birth injury attorney immediately.
For example, in one published situation a phycisian who examined a six week old child with a high fever did not take a full history from the mother and did not make an effort to check the prenatal records which recorded that the mother had tested positive for GBS while pregnant with the child. The pediatrician thus based her plan to hold off on administering any antibiotics to the baby until she could get back test results on incomplete info. Without| the vital item of facts the statistics were that the baby’s indications were from something other than group b streptococcus. Because of the delay the child became septic, developed meningitis and suffered strokes. This left her with mental retardation and seizures that are not treatable with medication. The mother and father pursued a lawsuit and the law firm that represented the family reported that they achieved a settlement in the amount of $6,150,000 for the family.
You ought to consult a doctor immediately in case you think your infant has a health problem and consult a medical negligence attorney if you think your child was damaged due to a mistake by a doctor or other health care professional.
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