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This document provides a summary of various studies and research on stillbirths, focusing on risk factors, interventions, and causes. The global stillbirth rate in 2021 was 13.9 per 1000 total births, with a significant number occurring during labor. Low- and lower-middle-income countries account for the majority of stillbirths, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia. The COVID-19 pandemic has also led to increased stillbirth rates in high-income countries. While the global stillbirth rate has decreased over the past two decades, it still lags behind other mortality indicators. The summary emphasizes the need for a comprehensive approach to address stillbirths, including improved access to healthcare services, health education for mothers, research investment, and international collaboration. Accurate data and high-quality care for pregnant women are urgently needed to reduce stillbirth rates and improve outcomes. [Extracted from the article]

• Ethnic minority healthcare workers (HCW) had higher risk of seropositivity than White colleagues. • Black African HCW were over twice as likely to have SARS-CoV-2 antibodies compared to White HCW. • Emergency department and Covid-19 inpatient wards (non-AGP) staff had highest occupational risk. • Highest seropositivity rates occurred in HCW living in more deprived areas local to the hospital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in women of childbearing age and to estimate the disease incidence and relative risk of IMD in pregnant compared with non-pregnant women.Design: Prospective enhanced national surveillance for IMD.Setting: England.Population: Women of reproductive age (15-44 years) with laboratory-confirmed IMD.Methods: Public Health England conducts enhanced national surveillance for IMD in England. Laboratory-confirmed cases are followed up with postal questionnaires to general practitioners. All cases confirmed in women of reproductive age from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2014 were included.Main Outcome Measures: Annual IMD incidence and relative risk of IMD in pregnant compared with non-pregnant women of reproductive age.Results: During the 4-year surveillance period, there were 1502 cases of IMD in females across England; of these, 310 (20.6%) cases were in women of reproductive age, including four women who were pregnant at the time of IMD confirmation (1.3%). Serogroup distribution of IMD cases in women of childbearing age was similar to the overall distribution. The four cases in otherwise healthy pregnant women were confirmed across all trimesters and all survived; one case in the first trimester had a septic miscarriage. The incidence of IMD was lower in pregnant than in non-pregnant women (0.16 compared with 0.76 per 100 000 pregnant and non-pregnant years, respectively), giving a lower risk of IMD in pregnant women (incidence rate ratio, IRR, 0.21; 95% confidence interval, 0.06-0.54).Conclusions: Pregnant women are nearly five times less likely to develop IMD compared with non-pregnant women, but the infection can be severe.Tweetable Abstract: The risk of meningococcal disease is lower in pregnant women compared with non-pregnant women; the infection can occur across all trimesters and can be severe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Data on the long-term impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children and young people (CYP) are conflicting. We assessed evidence on long-term post-COVID symptoms in CYP examining prevalence, risk factors, type and duration., Methods: Systematic search of published and unpublished literature using 13 online databases between 01/12/2019 and 31/07/2021. Eligible studies reported CYP ≤19 years with confirmed or probable SARS-CoV-2 with any symptoms persisting beyond acute illness. Random effects meta-analyses estimated pooled risk difference in symptom prevalence (controlled studies only) and pooled prevalence (uncontrolled studies also included). Meta-regression examined study characteristics hypothesised to be associated with symptom prevalence. Prospectively registered: CRD42021233153., Findings: Twenty two of 3357 unique studies were eligible, including 23,141 CYP. Median duration of follow-up was 125 days (IQR 99-231). Pooled risk difference in post-COVID cases compared to controls (5 studies) were significantly higher for cognitive difficulties (3% (95% CI 1, 4)), headache (5% (1, 8)), loss of smell (8%, (2, 15)), sore throat (2% (1, 2)) and sore eyes (2% (1, 3)) but not abdominal pain, cough, fatigue, myalgia, insomnia, diarrhoea, fever, dizziness or dyspnoea. Pooled prevalence of symptoms in post-COVID participants in 17 studies ranged from 15% (diarrhoea) to 47% (fatigue). Age was associated with higher prevalence of all symptoms except cough. Higher study quality was associated with lower prevalence of all symptoms, except loss of smell and cognitive symptoms., Interpretation: The frequency of the majority of reported persistent symptoms was similar in SARS-CoV-2 positive cases and controls. This systematic review and meta-analysis highlights the critical importance of a control group in studies on CYP post SARS-CoV-2 infection., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest SAB, RS, SDB, AXDZ, LLO, SNL, BLDS, RMV and OVS have no conflicts of interest. TJS is the Chair of the Health Research Authority for England who reimburse his university for his time. He is not paid personally. He has recused himself from research studies in which he is personally involved and which require ethical approval from the HRA., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Objective: To assess the incidence of maternal group B Streptococcus (GBS) infection in England., Design: Population surveillance augmented through data linkage., Setting: England., Population: All pregnant women accessing the National Health Service (NHS) in England., Methods: Invasive GBS (iGBS) infections during pregnancy or within 6 weeks of childbirth were identified by linking Public Health England (PHE) national microbiology surveillance data for 2014 to NHS hospital admission records. Capsular serotypes of GBS were determined by reference laboratory typing of clinical isolates from women aged 15-44 years. Post-caesarean section surgical site infection (SSI) caused by GBS was identified in 21 hospitals participating in PHE SSI surveillance (2009-2015)., Main Outcome Measures: iGBS rate per 1000 maternities; risk of GBS SSI per 1000 caesarean sections., Results: Of 1601 patients diagnosed with iGBS infections in England in 2014, 185 (12%) were identified as maternal infections, a rate of 0.29 (95% CI 0.25-0.33) per 1000 maternities and representing 83% of all iGBS cases in women aged 18-44 years. Seven (3.8%) were associated with miscarriage. Fetal outcome identified excess rates of stillbirth (3.4 versus 0.5%) and extreme prematurity (<28 weeks of gestation, 3.7 versus 0.5%) compared with national averages (P < 0.001). Caesarean section surveillance in 27 860 women (21 hospitals) identified 47 cases of GBS SSI, with an estimated 4.24 (3.51-5.07) per 1000 caesarean sections, a median time-to-onset of 10 days (IQR 7-13 days) and ten infections that required readmission. Capsular serotype analysis identified a diverse array of strains with serotype III as the most common (43%)., Conclusions: Our assessment of maternal GBS infection in England indicates the potential additional benefit of GBS vaccination in preventing adverse maternal and fetal outcomes., (© 2021 Crown copyright. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This article is published with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland.)