The 2nd ‘Young ISSAD’ Committee Seminar Series on GBS Epidemiology. We had speakers Dr Natalie Silmon de Monerri, Research Scientific Lead for Pfizer’s GBS Vaccine Program and Dr Simon Procter, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine joining us for our second event.

Dr Natalie Silmon de Monerri is Program Lead for the Group B Streptococcus vaccine program at Pfizer; Molecular Biology team lead supporting early and late stage vaccine programs with over 15 years of scientific experience in academia and industry Research & Development.

Dr Simon Procter, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine works in the department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology. His research focuses on Health economics, Epidemiology and Mathematical modelling.

International Symposium on ‘Streptococcus agalactiae’ Disease (ISSAD) are a biennial International Conference dedicated to Group B streptococcus (GBS). Group B Strep is a type of bacteria that can exist in the female reproductive tract without causing symptoms. Up to 30% of healthy women can carry Group B Strep, which usually does not cause problems. However, sometimes it can lead to severe infection of the bloodstream, infection of the placenta, or urinary tract infection. Group B Strep can also have severe consequences for the baby, causing potentially life-threatening conditions in the newborn, including meningitis, pneumonia, and sepsis.