Wait – but why is Group-B-Strep important?

Before we get into the details, a quick whistle-stop tour as to why we’re shouting about this bacteria. Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a cause of disease burden in every region worldwide, contributing to infant deaths, disability, stillbirths, and maternal infection. In fact, back in 2015, The World Health Organisation (WHO) said it was a priority to develop of GBS vaccines suitable for maternal immunization in pregnancy and use in low- and middle-income countries.

Jump forward 6 years and the WHO Full Value of Vaccines Assessment is almost ready to be released.

This vital report is a culmination of years of work by many teams from all over the world. It presents:

1. New data and analysis regarding long-term health and economic consequences of GBS disease.
2. Estimated costs/benefits of vaccination or other prevention approaches.

The purpose of the WHO Full Value of Vaccines Assessment (FVVA) has two major goals. Firstly, to describe the global public health rationale for developing vaccines against disease caused by GBS for maternal immunisation. And secondly, to inform decision making across the duration of vaccine development and uptake with a direct impact to sustainable public health.

Will this be relevant to me? Most likely. 

The WHO Full Value of Vaccines report findings will be relevant for families, policymakers, clinicians, scientists, & industry.

So how can I get my hands on it?

The WHO (FVVA) report will be launched on the first day of the ISSAD Conference on 3rd November 2021 and copies of the report will be made available online.

We look forward to discussing the report further with you at the ISSAD Conference on the 3-5th of November. The conference is free to attend though you must register first.

Registration: https://bit.ly/issadgbs2021