The 1st ‘Young ISSAD’ Committee Seminar Series on, 'Epidemiology of Group B Streptococcus invasive disease in high and low-income settings'. Speakers include Dr Proma Paul, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Dr Leslie McGee, US CDC.

Dr Proma Paul (LSHTM) is currently a research fellow and the multi-country GBS long-term outcome study coordinator. The study looks at the developmental outcomes of survivors of invasive GBS disease in early infancy in Argentina, India, Kenya, Mozambique, and South Africa.

Dr Lesley McGee is the team lead for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Streptococcus Laboratory. Her role includes routine surveillance, research, and public health response to Streptococcus pneumoniae and groups A and B streptococcus. She has worked extensively in streptococcal disease surveillance, focusing on pathogen detection, antimicrobial resistance, molecular epidemiology and evolution and genomics.

The ‘Young ISSAD’ Committee is an international group of students and early career researchers committed to disseminating Group B Strep research, information and events by creating a ‘Young ISSAD’ Community in between the Global Conference on Group B Strep (ISSAD).

International Symposium on ‘Streptococcus agalactiae’ Disease (ISSAD) are a bi-annual 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.