Group B streptococcus (GBS) is generally rare8 26 32 or not
seen at all,33 although maternal rectovaginal carriage rates of
GBS may be similar to those recorded in developed
countries.34 In most of the African studies,27 30 the incidence
is low, with the exception of South Africa.35 In Asia6 7 32 33 36 37
GBS is also reported to be extremely rare. In South America10
GBS incidence is comparable to the West. It is not known
whether these differences reflect true differences in pathogens
across the world, reflecting an epidemiological transition
in some countries, or whether it reflects an
epidemiological bias linked to the fact that most EOS babies
die at home before reaching the health facilities and they do
not appear in the statistics