A new single-dose antibiotic has been found to be able to reduce the risk of women that deliver vaginally dying during childbirth. This is a single-dose antibiotic only which means it will only be needed once during the pregnancy which is very convenient. The National Institute of Health had a clinical trial made on women. About 1.6 percent of women that received the antibiotic died around six weeks after giving birth, according to this study.
“A single dose of the antibiotic azithromycin decreased sepsis and death by half in women in labor. The simplicity of this intervention should allow its institution around the globe to protect mothers during childbirth,” said William A. Petri Jr. Researcher at the University of Virginia.
Childbirth
William Petri is part of the Azithromycin Prophylaxis in Labor Use Study (A-PLUS) Trial Group which is a group of researchers that wish to make giving birth safer for many middle-to-low-income women. About 29 thousand women from low-income countries such as Guatemala, India, Kenya, Pakistan, etc. volunteered to be tested with the antibiotic. This group however was split into two. Half of these women would be getting the actual medicine, while the other half would be getting a placebo that would be safe for the women and their babies.
From the placebo group of women, about 2.4 percent unfortunately died or developed sepsis six weeks after childbirth. Sepsis is a highly dangerous condition that happens when an infection goes wrong.
This means that instead of the immune system attacking the infection, it starts to attack the body instead which is really harmful and dangerous because it stops blood flow to the brain and other important parts. Most people are able to survive a mild case of sepsis, but it still has a 40 percent fatality rate which is high.
Unfortunately for women, sepsis is one of the top three causes of women dying after childbirth. Worse yet, getting sepsis while still pregnant can affect the baby. This is why this single-dose antibiotic is needed. Once taken it will not be instantly flushed from the body. It will stay there for a while. Additionally, it does not need to be refrigerated.
Other Benefits
“I was pleased to see some good news in the area of global maternal mortality,” stated Julie Gerberding the CEO of FNIH. The main reason this single-dose antibiotic was made is to reduce maternal death, there are other benefits that came with it as well. Researchers have shown that this antibiotic can also help with reducing the risk of endometritis which is a relief. Another thing it helps with is uterine infections. This makes it easier for women to go to the bathroom.
Right now this antibiotic is recommended and used in many caesarian deliveries. They are currently trying to get this antibiotic to become a standard practice during deliveries. But they are trying to get this to happen in other countries that have a higher mortality rate during childbirth.
This single-dose antibiotic will be the change of the world and will make women more comfortable during the most important part of their pregnancy. This way, they can truly peacefully enjoy their time with the new small member of their family.
Written By Erika Cano
Sources:
National Institutes of Health: Single-dose antibiotic prevents maternal sepsis and death
News Medical Life Sciences: Single dose of the antibiotic azithromycin decreases sepsis and death risk during childbirth
STAT News: In large study, a single antibiotic dose slashed rate of sepsis in childbirth
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