World Sepsis Day

World Sepsis Day is observed every year on September 13th to raise awareness for sepsis worldwide. It was initiated by the Global Sepsis Alliance in 2012.

World Sepsis Day is a great opportunity to remind the public, media, national, and international health care authorities, health care providers, and health care workers, policy makers, and the governments that there is an urgent need to increase and improve education on the facility, regional, national, and international level.

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. It is frequently a final common pathway to death for many infectious diseases worldwide. (WHO) Sepsis is the number one cause of preventable death worldwide.

Facts

• WHO calls for global action on sepsis – cause of 1 in 5 deaths worldwide (SEPSIS: FACTS)
• The world’s most neglected medical emergency.
• Sepsis is not only a medical emergency, but also a global health crisis.
• Sepsis strikes an estimated 30 million people worldwide every year, many of whom needlessly die or suffer permanent health issues.
• Sepsis is always triggered by an infection.
• Every 3-4 seconds someone dies of sepsis.
• Sepsis is known only to 7 – 50 % of the people.
• Sepsis can be prevented by vaccination and clean care and that early recognition and treatment reduces sepsis mortality by 50 %.
• Sepsis is the number 1 cost of hospitalization in the U.S.

RISK GROUPS

Everybody can get sepsis, no matter how healthy or how good in shape you are, or where you live. Certain people are at an even higher risk.

• older persons,
• pregnant or recently pregnant women,
• neonates,
• hospitalized patients,
• patients in intensive care units,
• people with HIV/AIDS,
• people with liver cirrhosis,
• people with cancer,
• people with kidney disease,
• people with autoimmune diseases,
• and people with no spleen.

Prevention

There are two main steps to preventing sepsis:

1. Prevention of microbial transmission and infection
2. Prevention of an infection evolving into sepsis

The best way to prevent sepsis is to prevent infection in the first place, which can be done by:

• Vaccination
• Clean water
• Hand hygiene
• Prevent hospital-acquired infections (HAIs)
• Safe childbirth
• Awareness

Source of Info: WHO & World Sepsis Day