A natural transmission of the Group B Streptococcus bacteria has been identified as the cause of death for the four babies at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital, last month.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday to address the matter, Phillip Armstrong, Chairman of the South East Regional Health Authority, said tests conducted showed the newborns were not exposed to the bacteria from the hospital environment.
Dr. Leslie Samuels, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist, who was also at the press conference, explained that the babies contracted the bacteria from their mothers due to the presence of Strep B in the mothers' vagina.
He said the situation is not uncommon as statistics from the US suggest that 20 per cent to 40 per cent of pregnant women have the germ in their genitalia.
The germ, he said, causes no problem to the mother, but can be deadly for babies who are born through vaginal delivery.
.jpg)
All feeds
