Child care is of paramount importance before, during, and after delivery. The reason for this is for the avoidance of child birth defects; which cannot be overemphasized. You can make Group B streptococcus claims if you believe you or your child is suffering the consequences of the negligent actions of your healthcare provider.
Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is one of the various child birth defects caused as a result of lack of care for either pregnant women or new infants. It is true some cases of Group B Streptococcus are unavoidable, but more often than not, medical negligence or carelessness can result in Strep B infection in babies. In such a case, you are within your rights to make Group B Streptococcus Claims.
What is Group B Streptococcus?
The bacteria – is the most prevalent cause of infant infections. Statistics show that one in every five pregnant women in the UK carry these bacteria, and there is a possibility even that the Strep B in pregnant women can be passed to their babies at birth.
This is what causes Group B Strep in children. About 6 – 7% of babies with Group B Strep die from the many complications of this infection, while about 9 – 10% others suffer long-term disabilities because of other complications related to the infection.
Some of the complications are:
- Lung Infection (Pneumonia)
- Blood poisoning (Sepsis)
- Brain Lining infection (Meningitis)
Long-term effects that can arise from any of this complications include:
- Brain Injury
- Impaired hearing
- Cerebral Palsy
- Blindness
- Learning disabilities
This infection can be prevented; and yes, it is treatable – to the extent of full recovery but if the condition is not detected on time, diagnosed properly, and treated with efficient medication, the risks of getting down with any of the mentioned complications rises. T
herefore, if your health care provider was negligent in the management and treatment of this condition, you can file a claim against the doctor or hospital.
Strep B natural treatment for adults:
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Symptoms of Strep B are not easily spotted, especially in children. This is why the condition is often misdiagnosed or delayed more than adult diagnosis. But some visible symptoms in adults and babies include:
- Fast or slow breathing
- Fast or slow heartbeat rate
- Extreme temperature rate (high and low)
- Flabbiness and unresponsive
- Snorting while breathing
Once you notice one or more of these symptoms during pregnancy or in the baby after delivery, it is advised that you seek immediate medical attention to avoid Strep B childbirth complications. It is important to get a professional to check the symptoms and diagnose the patient.
We will discuss how you can make a case of negligence and request compensation, but before then, we will first discuss how you can discover if you have been a victim of Strep B medical malpractice.
How To Know If You Have Been Victim Of Strep B Medical Negligence?
Nobody has it together at 100%, this is inclusive of experts in all fields of endeavors – more so, medical doctors. This does not excuse lack of necessary care for and routine checkup on patients by doctors.
If there is one thing every delivery doctor should help their clients or patient avoid, it is streptococcus dangerous complications after birth. But sometimes, even the doctors overlook some details that could cause great harm.
You will know that you are or have been a victim of this type of negligence if:
- After you have been diagnosed with the infection, the doctor fails to prescribe the right antibiotics with which to treat the infection and save the baby from coming out with it.
- The medical practitioner fails to spot the symptoms in the mother during pregnancy, or in the baby after delivery.
- The doctor’s laboratory Strep B test comes out positive after the doctor had wrongly diagnosed and started treating the symptoms wrongly.
- The doctor misdiagnosis the symptoms, which leads to death, long term disabilities or any form of loss.
Once you are sure that any of this is the case, your doctor has been negligent and has breach of duty of care that the doctor owes his/her patients. You can make a claim and if you lost your baby as a result, you can ask for a compensation for wrongful death.
Here’s How to Make Group B Strep(GBS) Compensation Claims?
Making a claim for Strep B falls under birth injury claims. Pregnant women can also make a claim for Group B strep pregnancy complications, if their doctor failed to detect and treat the infection before childbirth.
In any case, we have a team of experienced solicitors who are willing to guide you through the claims process once you decide to make a claim. These are some steps in making a claim for Group B streptococcus medical negligence
- Provide all medical records of both mother and child
- Take the records to an expert in the same field with the doctor who had committed the medical errors for a review. The reason for this review is to get evidence to ascertain if the original was really negligent at any point while the victim was in his care.
- If the record proves any form of negligence during the period you were under the care of the doctor, you can then proceed to file your lawsuit against the doctor.
- The defendant will be given the opportunity to deny or accept the proof. It is the defendant’s denial or acceptance that will determine how long it will take for the claims to be resolved.
- Once liability has been accepted, both parties can then negotiate the settlement fee. There are times when the defendant still refuses to accept liability and, in these cases, the claim may go all the way to a trial. This however, does not happen often.
The process may seem easy and straightforward but it isn’t always the case. This is why you need expert solicitors in negligence claims to make it easier for you and to increase your chances of winning. We do not advise that you take up these legal battles by yourself.
How We Help Our Clients With Strep B Claims?
In order to further help our clients with their claims, we handle medical malpractice claims such as these under our Conditional Fee Agreement policy also known as No Win No Fee. This means that we take away from you, the burden of paying legal fees. What this implies is that you do not need to pay us a dime before we begin to undertake your claims.
It is only at the end of a successful claim that we will take out a certain percentage of your compensation claim (as we will agree before the commencement of your case) as a success fee. What is more, even if the case turns out not to be successful, you will not incur any debt.
What is Strep B infection in babies?
Group B Streptococcus (also called Strep B or GBS) is an infection causing bacteria. The bacteria is not as harmless on adults as it is on babies. Group B Strep miscarriageis very likely for pregnant women with the bacteria, it is not properly treated before delivery. It can also damage children’s livers, brains and chances of living in many cases, if the infection is not detected on time and treated.
Group a streptococcus vs. Group b streptococcus?
The major difference between group a and b strep, is that, while Group a strep might cause bad skin injuries and bodily wounds, Group b strep – as an infection, attacks the vaginal tract, digestive tract and throat. Group B streptococcus attacks people with a very weak immune system.
How do you contract Strep B in pregnancy?
A lot of people still ask the questions, ‘how do you contract Group B Strep?’ The pregnant ones ask, ‘how did I get Group B Strep?’ The truth is that there is no known way whereby people contact the bacteria or even the infection that it causes.
The only know source in children or newly born babies, who contract the infection through vaginal delivery. This is possible because, as fetus, babies are exposed to fluid containing Group B Strep, if their mother is a carrier of the bacteria. If this is the case, there are high chances that the babies could swallow such fluid.
What is Strep B in pregnancy?
Group B Strep, otherwise known as GBS, is a bacterium that is found in the intestine, vagina and rectum of about 25% of healthy pregnant women. Strep B can also cause cervical cancer in pregnant women.
Strep B cervical cancer is a possible being that recent research shows that vaginal bacteria play a role in cervical cancer. Strep B and labour during childbirth are not a good duo; the infection colonizes tracts through which children come during childbirth, thereby causing complications during birth.
What does GBS discharge look like?
As earlier stated, GBS can be difficult to spot; but more often than not, it can be marked with a yellow or green discharge. Another way to know it is GBS is if the patient experiences vaginal burning and or irritation. These symptoms are often times mistaken for yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis. Whenever you notice any of these symptoms of Strep B in pregnancy is when to go to hospital for Medicare.
Can I claim compensation for Group B Streptococcus?
Yes, you can claim compensation for Strep B in your child if the doctor’s laboratory Strep B test and wrong diagnosis misled you. There is a chance that the doctor’s mistakes can cause Strep B to be transmitted from mother to child, especially if the infection is misdiagnosed and improperly treated.
How much compensation can I claim for Group B streptococcus?
Group B Strep in babies, caused by doctors’ negligence, is considered as child birth injury. There is no fixed compensation that can be claimed for child birth injuries; rather different cases are considered based on the degree of loss or difficulty imposed on the patient due to the medical negligence. That is why you need to get professional legal advice before making a claim.
Our solicitors are open for a free consultation session. You can reach out to us via our phone lines 0800 644 4240 to know how you can get started with your claim.
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