Tomorrow is World Sepsis Day!

Tomorrow (Wednesday 13 September) is World Sepsis Day, which is an initiative by the Global Sepsis Alliance established in 2012, to #StopSepsisSaveLives.

Every year countless events raising awareness for sepsis are organised worldwide. The day is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against sepsis.

Depending on country and education, sepsis is only known to seven to 50% of the people. This lack of knowledge and awareness makes sepsis the number one preventable cause of death worldwide.

What is sepsis?

Sepsis arises when the body's response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs. It may lead to shock, multiple-organ failure, and death, especially if not recognised early and treated promptly.

It is the final common pathway to death from most infectious diseases worldwide, including COVID-19.

Sepsis is a global health crisis:

• 47 - 50 million cases per year;
• at least 11 million deaths per year (one death in every 2.8 seconds);
• survivors may face lifelong consequences;
• one in every five deaths worldwide is associated with sepsis.

Sepsis causes and symptoms

Most types of microorganisms can causes sepsis, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites. However it may also be caused by:

• infections with seasonal influenza viruses;
• dengue viruses;
• high transmissible pathogens of public health concern, such as:
  
  • avian and swine influenza viruses,
  • Ebola,
  • yellow fever viruses.

Sepsis often presents as the clinical deterioration of common and preventable infections, such as those in the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and urinary tract, or of wounds and skin.

It is frequently under-diagnosed at an early stage, when it is still potentially reversible.

The following symptoms might indicate sepsis:

• slurred speech or confusion;
• extreme shivering or muscle pain/fever;
• passing no urine all day;
• severe breathlessness;
• it feels like you are going to die;
• skin mottled or discoloured.

How to prevent sepsis

Sepsis is the number one cause of preventable death worldwide. The best way to prevent sepsis is to prevent infection in the first place, which can be done by:

• vaccination;
• clean water;
• hand hygiene;
• preventing hospital-acquired infections (HAIs);
• safe childbirth;
• awareness.

World Sepsis Day Event 2023

Public knowledge around sepsis still has a long way to go. One in five people have not heard of sepsis, and one in three would not treat sepsis as a medical emergency.

There is a World Sepsis Day Event held in person in Berlin and online on 12 September 2023. You can register for the event here.

Another way to show support for World Sepsis Day is to sign the World Sepsis Declaration, which is a petition against sepsis, including key targets to be achieved by 2030.

For more information on this subject, see:

• The 2030 World Sepsis Declaration.