groupbstrepGroup B Streptococcus bacteria is a leading cause of infection and death within the first week of life. Each year about 40 infants less than 1-week old get early-onset group B strep disease in Arizona.  The bacteria can cause life-threatening infections like sepsis (infection of the blood), pneumonia (infection in the lungs), and meningitis (infection of the fluid and lining around the brain).

A couple of months ago the CDC developed an app to provide clinicians with on-the-spot recommendations to reduce the number of bad outcomes from Group B Strep.  The app asks a series of simple questions.  Based on the responses, health care providers get patient-specific prevention recommendations within seconds.

The app was developed to be consistent with the 2010 Guidelines for the Prevention of Perinatal GBS Disease.  Folks can Download “Prevent Group B Strep” free from the CDC iTunes App Store or Google Play.