This year’s World Sepsis Day marks its tenth anniversary. Five years after the World Health Assembly resolution on sepsis management and the recent uptake of its implementation by the G7 leaders, the Global Sepsis Alliance rejoices in the results of global advocacy, but the road ahead is still steep, and the number of unnecessary deaths caused by sepsis still too high.
At the event “Making Sepsis a National and Global Health Priority” in Berlin on September 16, the Global Sepsis Alliance will celebrate the progress achieved in ten years of advocacy and quality improvements in the fight against sepsis. The event will be the opportunity to take stock of the successes and learnings of the past ten years and identify the challenges that stakeholders around the globe must address to minimize the burden of sepsis.
Sepsis still kills 11 million people every year and more than 80% of the burden lies in low- and middle-income countries. “The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this burden through viral sepsis and underscored the vital importance of infection prevention and control, vaccination, and clean care to prevent the spread of disease and counter the threat of antimicrobial resistance“, reads the welcome message of WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, patron of the event.
“G7 governments have understood the importance of improving sepsis management and integrating it into antimicrobial resistance and pandemic preparedness strategies. We are satisfied with the inclusion of sepsis in the recent leaders’ conclusions under the German presidency”, confirms GSA President, Prof. Niranjan ‘Tex’ Kissoon. “We are working with our members and partners to ensure that the G20 countries also embrace the recommendations and contribute to reducing the number of still too high preventable deaths and disabilities caused by sepsis.”
Sepsis, the dysregulated immune system response to infections from bacteria, fungi, or viruses such as COVID-19, affects around 50 million people annually, often leaving survivors with long-term physical consequences, including amputations. Post-sepsis syndrome symptoms are very similar to the ones of the well-known long Covid.
The September 16 event will be attended in person or remotely by high-level officials including German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach and UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner, alongside renowned figures in the field of sepsis. This will be only one of the numerous events that are organized every year in September to raise awareness of sepsis around the globe. An interactive map of all activities is available on the World Sepsis Day website.
