The Dubai Resolution and the Establishment of the Eastern Mediterranean Sepsis Alliance
On April 4th, 2019, on the occasion of the 15th Emirates Critical Care Conference in Dubai, the Global Sepsis Alliance hosted the launch meeting of the Eastern Mediterranean Sepsis Alliance. Representatives from the International Pan Arab Critical Care Medicine Society, the World Federation of Critical Care Nurses, the African Sepsis Alliance, and representatives of several medical professional societies united in the common goal of fighting sepsis in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
This region is widely diversified with countries that show great variations in economic, social, and health indicators. The natural and manmade disasters and conflicts that affect several countries constitute a major challenge. These deplorable circumstances make the populations in this region even more prone to sepsis.
Sepsis does not discriminate against age, gender, religion, or geographic borders. Each year in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, an estimated more than 2.7 million individuals develop sepsis. At least 540,000 do not survive, and an additional one-third of survivors die during the following year. Many survivors face lifelong consequences, such as new physical, psychological, and cognitive problems. This makes sepsis the most preventable cause of death and disability in the Eastern Mediterranean Region .
The participants of the launch meeting, representing major stakeholders in the fight against sepsis in the region, unanimously adopted the Dubai Sepsis Resolution (download below), which urges government authorities, policy makers, healthcare managers, professionals, and associated societies to:
endorse the WHO Resolution on Sepsis and establish national action plans to prevent sepsis, to enhance early recognition and management in a continuous effort to improve access to care and adequate resources and to reduce inequity
focus on sepsis prevention by providing adequate sanitation, vaccination to at-risk groups, and adequate nutrition, as well as reducing maternal and pediatric deaths
cooperate in partnership to ensure adequate sepsis treatment in all nations, through undergraduate and post graduate training of healthcare professionals focused on improving outcomes in both patients and survivors, recognizing that the establishment of adequate national policies to treat sepsis in one country will clearly benefit other nations
promote sepsis awareness among lay people and healthcare workers, including recognizing World Sepsis Day (September 13th) as a national date
implement measures aimed at minimizing the risk of the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance and hospital-acquired infections
promote collaborative research to further understand the burden of sepsis as well as to identify local perspectives and priorities for adequate recognition and treatment
We encourage representatives from health authorities, professional societies of physicians and nurses from the fields of emergency medicine, intensive care medicine, infectious diseases, microbiology, public health, and from non-government organizations to become founding members of the Eastern Mediterranean Sepsis Alliance. To become involved in the EMSA, please contact us.