A SINGLE MEDICINE COULD RADICALLY REDUCE THE NUMBER OF POSTNATAL INFECTIONS

A single medicine could radically reduce the number of postnatal infections

A single dose of the antibiotic given to the mother could prevent almost half of the post-natal infections assisted by vacuum or pliers by a research.

After births with vacuum or pliers, without antibiotics, 16 percent are infections, and 25 percent after cesarean sections. According to researchers, 19,500 women worldwide died of pregnancy-related infections in 2016, but 70 serious infections are reported for each mortality, and rarely with long-term complications.

Researchers surveyed 3420 British women. It has also been found that every 100 antibiotics used for prophylaxis make a further 168 prescriptions of antibiotics unnecessary as there will be fewer post-natal infections.

This means that the use of antibiotics could be reduced by 17 percent if they prevent infections in the case of vaccinia or congestion, according to a study published in the Lancet Medical Journal.

Scientists led by Marian Knight of Oxford have called on the UN World Health Organization (WHO) and national health authorities to change the guidelines in light of the results.