Adoption of perinatal group B streptococcal disease prevention recommendations by prenatal-care providers--Connecticut and Minnesota, 1998.

Group B streptococcal (GBS) infections are the leading bacterial cause of serious neonatal disease in the United States (1). In 1996, in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, CDC issued consensus guidelines for preventing perinatal GBS disease (2-4). These guidelines recommend using either a screening-based or a risk-based strategy to identify women who should receive intrapartum antimicrobial prophylaxis. To assess adoption of the GBS disease prevention guidelines, the Connecticut and Minnesota state health departments surveyed prenatal-care providers during January-April 1998. This report presents the survey findings, which indicate that most prenatal-care providers in Connecticut and Minnesota have adopted perinatal GBS disease prevention policies and that strategy choice may vary by state and provider type.