Southampton mum calls on pregnant women to join vaccine study after baby son’s fight for life

A Southampton mum whose baby survived a life-threatening infection is encouraging pregnant women to take part in a major vaccine study that could help protect future babies.

When Leo Page was just three weeks old, he was rushed to University Hospital Southampton, where he was diagnosed with sepsis and meningitis caused by group B Streptococcus (GBS).

Now, with Leo making encouraging progress at home, his mum Laura is endorsing the BEATRIX study, the first large-scale phase 3 vaccine trial in the world for GBS. It is supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and sponsored by Pfizer.

University Hospital Southampton’s NIHR Clinical Research Facility is among 10 sites across the UK administering the vaccine as part of the study. The trial is being delivered by the hospital through its NIHR Biomedical Research Centre: Southampton.

GBS is a common type of bacteria carried harmlessly by around one in four women. While most babies exposed to GBS during birth are unaffected, the bacteria can sometimes be passed to a newborn baby, causing serious infections such as sepsis, pneumonia and meningitis. As the leading cause of severe infection in newborn babies, GBS can progress rapidly and become life-threatening if not identified and treated quickly.

The infection can develop either within the first six days of life (early-onset) or up to three months after birth (late-onset). Symptoms include a baby being floppy, unresponsive or unusually low in energy; grunting or struggling to breathe, or breathing unusually fast or slow; having an unusually high or low temperature; feeding poorly or vomiting milk; and changes in skin colour or blotchy skin.

Around one in every 1,750 babies in the UK and Ireland develops GBS each year. In the UK, around 50 babies die as a result of the infection annually, approximately one each week. A further 70 babies survive with long-term disabilities such as hearing loss, vision problems, cerebral palsy or developmental difficulties.

Professor Chrissie Jones, a paediatric infectious disease specialist at University Hospital Southampton and local study lead, said:

“There is a need to assess the safety and efficacy of a Group B Strep vaccine which has the potential to transform the way we protect newborn babies, both here in the UK and around the world. Group B Strep remains a serious infection in early life – one that can be life-threatening and may lead to long-term health problems for infants who survive.

“A successful vaccine would represent a breakthrough in preventing these severe infections. We are now inviting pregnant women and birthing people from the Southampton area to take part in this important study and help us evaluate this potentially promising new vaccine.”

Three weeks after his birth in February 2026, Leo Page suddenly became lethargic, and when he fell asleep in the bath, his mum Laura Page, 32, and husband Matt, called for an ambulance. He was taken to University Hospital Southampton's paediatric intensive care unit and was found to have sepsis and meningitis that had developed from GBS.

Leo suffered "catastrophic brain damage" and his parents were told that they might lose him. At one stage, doctors even discussed end-of-life care for their baby. They were later told he would most likely spend his life in a vegetative state.

Baby Leo spent the next 10 days fighting for his life in intensive care as doctors battled to save him. His parents could do little more than watch and wait as the newborn clung to life.

Slowly, he began to respond to treatment.

Doctors transferred him to a children’s ward where he spent a further five days recovering. Finally, after more than two weeks in hospital, he was well enough to return home.

Laura said this was a "horrific experience" and that they've "been through hell". She paid tribute to the care the "absolutely incredible nurses provided for Leo in the intensive care unit", praising their compassion and expertise.

Today, little Leo is developmentally making good progress that is close to any child his age.

Laura said: “The best that the consultants could have hoped for is that he could breathe on his own. Then after a week in PICU, the nurses were going to test to see if Leo could breathe without the ventilator, to which we were relieved that he could.

“I’ve never felt so much relief, knowing that my baby could breathe on his own, unaided. We’d been told on several occasions he wouldn’t wake properly, that he’d live in a vegetative state and be fed through a tube. To then watch him sucking a dummy, like any other baby, it was incredible. Every single day became a tiny victory.”

Laura welcomes the development of a new vaccine, saying she would not want any other family to go through what hers did. She said it will give women hope that their future babies could be protected from this devastating infection.

Looking to the future, Laura said: “As he has brain damage, we won’t find out until he’s older how it will have fully affected him. But for now, he’s happy, he’s laughing, he’s sitting up, rolling and feeding himself, exactly what a baby his age should be doing.”

“After everything we’ve faced, nothing will ever compare to those conversations with the consultants, or to the fear of him not being here. Whatever challenges come our way, we know we can overcome them.”

Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Executive Officer of the NIHR and Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care, said:

“Stories like Leo's highlight why research matters. Behind every study are families with a shared determination to find better ways to prevent serious illness and improve outcomes for others. Every woman who takes part is helping generate the evidence needed to advance this promising new vaccine and shift towards preventing life-threatening infections before they take hold.

“As a practising NHS obstetrician, I know families want to give their baby the safest possible start in life. That's why we are asking pregnant women across the UK to help us by taking part in research, this study, and others like it. Every woman who takes part brings us closer to the evidence we need to protect babies and mothers.”

Health Innovation Minister, James Frith, said:

“No parent should have to face the fear that Laura and Matt did. Their story is a powerful reminder of why these studies matter so much.

“That’s why this Government, through the NIHR, is backing world-leading research and creating opportunities to translate scientific discovery into real-world benefits that could spare other families from that same heartbreak.

“By working in partnership across the life sciences sector, we can accelerate innovation and deliver lasting benefits for patients and the public for decades to come.”

Bonnie Ng, age 37, from Southampton, is an obstetrics and gynaecology trainee at Salisbury District Hospital. She regularly prescribes antibiotics during labour for the prevention of newborn Group B strep infection and is aware of its risks.

“Group B strep can be a serious infection for newborns,” she explained. “A lot of women don’t know they carry it and we don’t routinely check for Group B strep. Even with current treatment, it’s not 100% preventative.”

Bonnie volunteered for the BEATRIX trial at University Hospital Southampton after hearing about the research through the study team. She gave birth to her daughter, Isobel, earlier this month.

“Having an approved vaccine for Group B strep would be a game-changer,” she explained. “All vaccine trials are important but it does feel particularly good to be involved in a later-phase study. This means there is more evidence already supporting the treatment and greater potential that it could lead to clinical benefit.

“It’s a very simple study as well. I have felt very looked after during the journey. The research team spend time to make sure all questions are answered and you are listened to very well.

“I hope that this vaccine could have a huge impact for babies and their families for generations to come.”

Healthy pregnant women aged 49 or younger may be eligible to join the study between 24 and 36 weeks of pregnancy. Participants receive one injection in the arm containing either the GBS vaccine or a saline placebo, with the group decided at random. Mothers may take part for up to 14 months, ending six months after giving birth, while their babies are followed for around 12 months after birth.

Estimates suggest 70% coverage could avoid more than 50,000 GBS-related deaths and 170,000 pre-term births annually worldwide.

For more information on this vaccine trial or to take part in clinical research, visit the NIHR’s Be Part of Research Service online or through the NHS app. In Southampton, please call the study team on 02381206856 or email reprohealthresearcht@uhs.nhs.uk.

GBS disproportionately affects Black and Asian babies, with rates of serious infection 51% higher among Black ethnic groups and 28% higher among Asian ethnic groups compared with white babies. So eligible Black and Asian women are particularly encouraged to take part, helping to ensure that communities disproportionately affected by GBS are well represented in research to help prevent it.