Reuters: Antibiotics after assisted births could stop thousands of infections
“Giving a single dose of antibiotics to mothers who have a medically assisted birth using forceps or vacuum could prevent almost half of maternal infections, researchers said on Monday, and global health authorities should change their advice. In a study published in The Lancet medical journal, the researchers said prescribing antibiotics as a preventative measure could save more than 7,000 infections in new mothers in the U.K. each year, and around 5,000 in the United States. They called on the World Health Organization (WHO) and other national health agencies to alter their advice in the light of the results…” (Kelland, 5/13).

Additional coverage of the study is available from The BMJ, The Guardian, New York Times, and The Telegraph.