New Global Consensus on Sepsis Management in Resource-Limited Settings

We are pleased to share the recent publication:
"Management of adult sepsis in resource-limited settings: global expert consensus statements using a Delphi method"
Published on 23 December 2024 in Intensive Care Medicine.

This important study, led by Prof. Louise Thwaites, Dr. Prashant Nasa, Prof. Sheila Myatra, Dr. Brett Abbenbroek, and the Asia Pacific Sepsis Alliance (APSA) Steering Group, brings together international expertise to improve sepsis management in healthcare systems with limited resources.

Key Highlights:

  • Developed through a structured, multi-round Delphi process

  • 70% of expert contributors were from low- and lower-middle-income countries, ensuring relevance to real-world frontline conditions

  • Provides practical, context-sensitive clinical recommendations for resource-constrained settings

  • Complements the existing Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines, offering additional guidance where advanced diagnostics and therapies may not be available

  • Includes clear visualizations and an APSA Position Statement to support the practical application of the recommendations

This global consensus provides vital, actionable guidance for clinicians, health leaders, and policymakers working to strengthen sepsis care and outcomes, particularly in the regions where the burden is greatest and resources are most limited.

Katja Couball
GSA at EU Global Health Forum and Belgian Ministry of Health

Dr. Mariam Jashi, CEO of the Global Sepsis Alliance (GSA), participated in the 2025 EU Global Health Forum, convened by the European Commission on May 15, 2025.

This second forum served as a structured dialogue among key global health stakeholders to assess progress on the EU Global Health Strategy (EUGHS), adopted in 2022. The event aimed to ensure accountability and reinforce the EU’s leadership in global health. Key topics included global health financing, emergency preparedness and response, lessons learned, local manufacturing of health products in partner countries, and universal access to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). The overarching goal was to maintain momentum toward a healthier and more equitable global future.

During the Opening Session, Dr. Jashi addressed a high-level panel that included Lorena Boix Alonso, Deputy Director-General of DG SANTE, and Martin Seychell, Deputy Director-General of DG INTPA, co-organizers of the Forum.

  • She commended the European Commission for convening the event at a time of diminishing multilateralism and emphasized the importance of renewed EU leadership in re-prioritizing global health.

  • Dr. Jashi highlighted the immense human and societal burden of sepsis, which is responsible for 1 in 5 deaths globally. In the European region alone, over 3 million people are affected annually, resulting in approximately 680,000 deaths.

  • She spotlighted the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis, launched at the German Parliament in September 2014, and referenced the Call to Action for EU Institutions and Member States, presented at the European Sepsis Alliance meeting in March 2025 at the European Parliament.

  • Finally, Dr. Jashi raised concern over the limited visibility of sepsis in EU health policies and programs and encouraged DG SANTE and DG INTPA to consider stronger integration of this medical emergency and global health threat.

As part of her visit, Dr. Jashi also held a bilateral meeting with Fabian Desimpel, Public Health Advisor at the Cabinet of Frank Vandenbroucke, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health. Simone Mancini, GSA’s Partnership Lead and the Coordinator of the European Sepsis Alliance, joined the meeting virtually.

The Global Sepsis Alliance commended Minister Vandenbroucke for championing Belgium’s first National Report on Sepsis. This landmark achievement followed a major media campaign centered on Ilse Malfait, which brought national attention to Sepsis and led to the appointment of Prof. Erika Vlieghe to coordinate the report. In just six months, Prof. Vlieghe led a team of 62 multidisciplinary experts – including clinicians, public health professionals, and Sepsis survivors – to develop the report, with significant input from GSA member organization Sepsibel and Sepsis survivor Ilse Malfait.

Dr. Jashi presented the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis to Dr. Desimpel, highlighting Belgium as one of 15 leading countries worldwide that prioritize sepsis at the national level.

Mariam Jashi and Simone Mancini emphasized that Belgium’s report lays the groundwork for the development of a National Sepsis Plan. The GSA reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the Belgian Ministry of Health, Sepsibel, and other national stakeholders with any necessary inputs or technical expertise needed to advance this critical initiative.

Marvin Zick
5th WSC Final Report: Statistics and Numbers from the 5th World Sepsis Congress

The Global Sepsis Alliance – on behalf of Prof. Tex Kissoon and Dr. Mariam Jashi as Co-chairs of the 5th World Sepsis Congress Scientific Committee – is delighted to publish the final report of our annual flagship event.

A total of 11,945 people from 174 countries registered for this World Sepsis Congress, with 67% of participants joining from low- and middle-income countries. This underscores a critical truth: sepsis is a global health threat that knows no borders and is not confined by the strength of a country’s healthcare system. It perfectly reflects our mission – to share knowledge about sepsis with every corner of the world.

We’re deeply grateful for your participation – it was truly a pleasure to have you with us.

Your feedback has been especially meaningful to us. Hearing how much you valued the congress is both encouraging and inspiring. You can explore the full report using the gallery above or download it as a PDF below. Please feel free to share it with colleagues, friends, and family.

Finally, we want to seize the opportunity to thank all members of the Scientific Committee for their invaluable contributions to the development of this robust scientific program. We also want to thank sepsis survivors and families for their input and participation in the impactful panel discussion, and Marvin Zick for the outstanding management of the event and elaboration of this report.

Lastly, let this serve as a reminder that all 15 sessions of the congress are available to rewatch on our YouTube channel or listen to as a podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

World Sepsis Congress will return in April 2026.

Marvin Zick
The SEPSIS Act is Reintroduced in the U.S. Senate

We at the Global Sepsis Alliance and World Sepsis Day are pleased to share a major update in the ongoing effort to strengthen sepsis policy in the United States: the SEPSIS Act (S.1929), the bipartisan bill first introduced in the Senate last September—was officially reintroduced into the new Congress on Thursday, June 5th.

This legislation represents a significant milestone in the national response to the sepsis crisis. The bill is being co-sponsored by Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), and Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ), reflecting growing bipartisan momentum. It has also been endorsed by the American Hospital Association and the Federation of American Hospitals, two leading healthcare organizations in the United States.

To mark this important development, our colleagues at END SEPSIS – The Legacy of Rory Staunton, co-founded by Ciaran and Orlaith Staunton, returned to Capitol Hill to meet with key lawmakers and staff. Meetings with members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee focused on the devastating human and economic burden of sepsis across the country.

END SEPSIS has long championed the need for a comprehensive federal response to sepsis and remains fully committed to the passage of this landmark legislation. With bipartisan leadership and strong healthcare sector support, the organization is working to advance the bill and protect millions of Americans from one of the leading causes of death and healthcare spending in the nation.

For a detailed overview of the SEPSIS Act's proposed funding and goals, please refer to the official press release.

This renewed legislative momentum builds on earlier progress, including the allocation of $3 million to the CDC for sepsis-related initiatives in 2024, which we reported on here.
You can also revisit our original announcement of the bill’s first introduction in the Senate in September 2024 here.

We at the Global Sepsis Alliance and World Sepsis Day fully support this continued legislative push and commend END SEPSIS and its partners for their tireless work in the fight against sepsis.

Katja Couball
Don't Whine – Wilberts Sepsis Story and Beyond

In August 2021, I am stricken with sepsis with severe organ failure. Blunt bad luck strikes me. The consequences are significant and not only for myself, but also for those around me, my wife, children, and friends.

From a healthy 71-year-old man, I became an elderly man with all sorts of defects. With the help of many physiotherapists, a psychologist, and others, I scrambled up and regained my life, supported by my Mieke, children, and grandchildren, who give me joy in life again with much encouragement.

Unfortunately, there are permanent limitations, I will have to learn to cope with this. I am a fighter and not someone who sits behind the geraniums. To the best of my ability, I have picked up my life again.

“Don’t whine” will be my motto. No whining, and if I can't get through life with two wheels, then let's get through life with three.

What Happened

As a man of then 71, I undergo prostate surgery with the green-laser technique at the end of January 2021. I have had symptoms of my prostate for years by then. To solve them for good, I undergo surgery: the size of my prostate will be reduced by 70%. Fortunately, no other nasties are found. After a day at the academic hospital Radboudumc, I am discharged. I go home to regain my strength. As after a few months the urinary problems do return, I visit the urology outpatient clinic again for a check-up at the end of August. Although I am on time, after waiting an hour for the urologist, I am helped by a nurse who is not actually on duty. She had 27 years of experience, so she does the examination herself, a peek inside the bladder. For men of my age, an all too familiar hassle. Trousers off, and there I sit on a kind of delivery chair. She inserts a catheter, which makes its way to my bladder. The nurse looks at the screen and sees nothing special. After the treatment, I return to Malden.

The pain is severe and persists. On Mieke's advice, I go to the GP and come home with antibiotic pills. But the pain gets worse. I get feverish, and at night I go downstairs because I feel bad. Later at night, I call Mieke at the bottom of the stairs. The temperature is over 40 degrees, something is very wrong. After that, I pass out, and I can't remember anything of what happened next.

Reflection on the Nurse’s Actions

Looking back, I started questioning whether the nurse should have acted differently. Mieke and I even wrote a letter to the urologist at Radboudumc. In the letter, we asked whether it would have been better for the procedure to be postponed and carried out by a urologist instead of the nurse, even though she had 27 years of experience. The pain I experienced and the subsequent complications made me wonder whether things could have gone another way.

We never sought legal action because we knew that wouldn't restore my health, but the event marked the beginning of a long and difficult journey, and I wanted to better understand what went wrong.

Mieke calls the 112, the ambulance arrives in 10 minutes. The paramedics see immediately that something is very wrong. Fluids are immediately administrated and, with the siren blaring, we are taken to the Radboudumc in Nijmegen. I am immediately driven to the ICU and hooked up to various machines, IVs are inserted, and tests are initiated. Quickly, the doctors conclude that I have suffered septic shock with severe organ failure. My heart and lungs are still functioning well. However, my liver, kidneys, and intestine have suffered severe damage. An E. coli bacteria, entered my bloodstream.

Fragments from 9 Days in Coma (August 28 – September 9, 2021)

During the following nine days in the ICU, while I was in a coma, Mieke kept a daily record as advised by the hospital. I was rushed to Radboudumc, placed on a ventilator, and given strong antibiotics. My condition was critical—organs were failing, and doctors feared potential brain damage. Over the course of several days, I showed slight signs of improvement: muscle tension, tremors, brief moments of eye movement and frowning. Slowly, I became more responsive—first to voice, then to touch. Eventually, I opened my eyes, nodded, and responded to questions with small gestures. I was weaned off the ventilator, began breathing on my own, and even tried sitting up and cycling with assistance. By September 9, I was able to talk again—laboriously, but unmistakably present.

Rehabilitation

Finally, on October 14, I was discharged from the Radboudumc and transported by ambulance to the rehabilitation centre Klimmendaal in Arnhem.

After 2 months of intensive training with physio and occupational therapy, talks with social work and the psychologist there and 15 kilos lighter, I belong to the realm of those living again.

I survived because:

  • I got to the Radboudumc quickly from Malden, and

  • I had fantastic doctors and nurses at the bedside—people with knowledge, people who know what sepsis is.

But even more factors have been decisive. ‘Thanks to your parents' genes AND a good condition, you survived,’ are the words of the ICU head. Yes, I survived, also thanks to the quick admission, my good condition, and definitely thanks to my parents' genes. I crawled through the eye of the needle. A year later, I visited my room in the ICU and also the family room (nerve room, according to Jan) under the guidance of an ICU doctor. It didn't do much for me.

Sepsis Awareness

Many people have heard of blood poisoning, but they have never heard of sepsis. It is not widely known. Although many people contract sepsis in the Netherlands and more than 10,000 people die from it every year, this occurrence is unfortunately overshadowed by other diseases or ignorance. Ten thousand may not be a large number, but the consequences are huge: it is the fourth-deadliest disease in the Netherlands. And if you survive it, you usually suffer damage to your body and mind.


The article above was extrapolated from Wilbert’s booklet “Don’t whine” with his explicit consent. The views in the article do not necessarily represent those of the Global Sepsis Alliance. They are not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The whole team here at the Global Sepsis Alliance and World Sepsis Day wishes to thank Wilbert for sharing his story and for contributing to raise awareness for sepsis.

Katja Couball
Sessions 14 and 15 from the 5th World Sepsis Congress Now Available on YouTube and as a Podcast

Sessions 14 and 15 from the 5th World Sepsis Congress are now available on YouTube (embedded above) and as a podcast wherever you get your podcasts (search for World Sepsis Congress in your favorite podcast app, Apple Podcast link).


S14: Sepsis in Emergencies and Humanitarian Crisis

Moderated by Antonio Artigas from Spain

Filoviruses and Sepsis – Optimizing Management During Outbreaks
Janet Diaz, World Health Organization, Switzerland

Providing Quality Sepsis Care During Global Health Emergencies – Lessons Learned From the COVID-19 Pandemic
Uzma Syed, South Shore Infectious Diseases; Good Samaritan University Hospital, United States

Vulnerabilities in Providing Quality Services for Sepsis Care During Armed Conflicts – Recent Experience from Sudan
Mohammed Elfatih Ahmed, Al Ribat University Hospital, Sudan

How Can Humanitarian Agencies Help Prevent the Disruption of Essential Services for Preventing, Identifying, Monitoring, and Managing Sepsis During Humanitarian Emergencies?
Jihan Salad, AlignMNH Steering Committee, The Netherlands

Impact of Climate Change on Maternal and Newborn Sepsis Outcomes
Fani Kalala, University of Thessaly, Greece


S15: Prevention and Rehabilitation of Long-Term Sequelae From Sepsis

Moderated by Nathan Nielsen from the United States

Predicting Long-Term Cardiovascular Complications Following Sepsis
Iván Alfredo Huespe, Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires, Argentina

Rehabilitation in Sepsis Survivors
Thomas Rollinson, Austin Health, Australia

Long-Term Morbidity and Functional Dependence After Sepsis – New Insights From a Large Prospective Survivor Cohort Study
Carolin Fleischmann-Struzek, Jena University Hospital, Germany

The “Hospital Care at Home” Model for Patients with Sepsis
Hallie Prescott, University of Michigan, United States

The Impact of Post-Discharge Sepsis Management on Mortality and Morbidity
Stephanie Taylor, University of Michigan, United States

Long-Term Complications in Pediatric Sepsis Survivors
Karen Choong, McMaster University, Canada

Closing Remarks
Mariam Jashi, Global Sepsis Alliance, Georgia


These were the final sessions from the 5th World Sepsis Congress – all sessions are now available to recap. We appreciate your interest over the last couple of weeks. World Sepsis Congress will return in April 2026.


Full Release Schedule

S1: Opening Session – Tuesday, April 15, 2025

S2: Sepsis Epidemiology and Clinical Data – Tuesday, April 22, 2025

S3: The Voices of Patients in Advocacy, Research, and Beyond – Tuesday, April 22, 2025

S4: Novel Approaches to Pathogen Detection and Sepsis Diagnostics – Tuesday, April 29, 2025

S5: The Immunization Agenda for Sepsis – Tuesday, April 29, 2025

S6: Pathways for Sepsis Care – Integrated Emergency, Critical, and Operative Care (ECO) – Tuesday, May 6, 2025

S7: Bridging Sepsis Knowledge Gaps in HICs and LMICs – Tuesday, May 6, 2025

S8: Infection Prevention and Control in Community and Healthcare Settings – Tuesday, May 13, 2025

S9: Reducing Sepsis Mortality Through System Change – Lessons from Trailblazing Countries – Tuesday, May 13, 2025

S10: AI Solutions for Sepsis – Tuesday, May 20, 2025

S11: The Research Agenda for AMR and Sepsis – Tuesday, May 20, 2025

S12: Pediatric Sepsis: The LMICs Cannot Wait for Improved Outcomes Any Longer – Tuesday, May 27, 2025

S13: State of the Art in Sepsis Research: Emerging Immunomodulatory Approaches – Tuesday, May 27, 2025

S14: Sepsis in Emergencies and Humanitarian Crisis – Tuesday, June 3, 2025

S15: Prevention and Rehabilitation of Long-Term Sequelae From Sepsis – Tuesday, June 3, 2025


Marvin Zick
GSA Applauds PAHO for Approving the First Regional Strategy for Sepsis

Photo 1. Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, PAHO/WHO Director for the Americas, with Dr. Mariam Jashi – CEO of the Global Sepsis Alliance, and Prof. Konrad Reinhart – President of Sepsis Stiftung

Geneva, May 24, 2025 – On the sidelines of the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Dr. Mariam Jashi, CEO of the Global Sepsis Alliance (GSA) and Board Member of the UNITE Parliamentarians Network for Global Health (UNITE), met with Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and Prof. Konrad Reinhart – President of Sepsis Stiftung and GSA’s Founding President.

Under Dr. Barbosa’s leadership, the Region of the Americas has become the first World Health Organization (WHO) region to develop and adopt a comprehensive framework titled the “Strategy and Plan of Action to Decrease the Burden of Sepsis through an Integrated Approach 2025–2029.”

This groundbreaking strategy addresses the significant impact of Sepsis across the Americas and outlines three Strategic Lines of Action:

  • Enhancing awareness, research, and surveillance on Sepsis

  • Preventing Sepsis through robust infection prevention and control programs, including immunization and WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene)

  • Ensuring equitable access to timely and quality diagnosis and treatment of Sepsis at all levels of care, including ICUs, and expanding access to antimicrobials

Photo 2. PAHO’s 2025-2029 Strategy and Plan of Action to Decrease the Burden of Sepsis

Dr. Jashi and Prof. Reinhart thanked and commended Dr. Barbosa for this historic initiative of PAHO, noting its importance as a model for other WHO regions.

Maria Jashi also shared the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis, the very first multi-year global strategy, launched by the GSA in September 2024 at the German Parliament in partnership with the UNITE Parliamentarians Network for Global Health, the Global Health Sub-Committee of the German Bundestag, and with a special video address from WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Photo 3. 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis Acknowledges the first Regional Sepsis Strategy endorsed by PAHO

During the meeting, Dr. Barbosa and Dr. Jashi discussed opportunities to strengthen collaboration between PAHO and GSA in support to the successful implementation of the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis and PAHO’s Regional Strategy and Plan of Action.

Katja Couball
Sessions 12 and 13 from the 5th World Sepsis Congress Now Available on YouTube and as a Podcast

Sessions 12 and 13 from the 5th World Sepsis Congress are now available on YouTube (embedded above) and as a podcast wherever you get your podcasts (search for World Sepsis Congress in your favorite podcast app, Apple Podcast link).


Session 12: Pediatric Sepsis: The LMICs Cannot Wait for Improved Outcomes Any Longer

Moderated by Fouzia Shafique from the United States

How to Use the Phoenix Sepsis Criteria in LMICs
Niranjan ‘Tex’ Kissoon, Global Sepsis Alliance, Canada

Progress in Sepsis Care in LMICs
John Appiah, World Health Organization, Ghana

Progress to Personalized Care in Resource-Poor Settings – The Omics
Teresa Kortz, University of California, San Francisco, United States

Does AI Offer Benefits in Resource-Poor Settings?
María del Pilar Arias, Latin American Society of Pediatric Intensive Care, Argentina

The Fluid Story – From Liberal to Frugal
Suchitra Ranjit, Apollo Children’s Hospital, India


Session 13: State of the Art in Sepsis Research: Emerging Immunomodulatory Approaches

Moderated by Imrana Malik from the United States

Immunomodulatory Therapies – Where Are We Currently?
Evangelos Giamarellos-Bourboulis, European Sepsis Alliance, Greece

TREM-1 Inhibition
Bruno François, University Hospital of Limoges, France

IL-6 Inhibition
Nuala Meyer, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, United States

Immunomodulatory Therapies in Pediatric Patients
Mark Hall, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, United States

Adrenomedullin – Treating the Vascular Endothelium
Stephan Witte, Adrenomed, Germany

C5a Inhibition
Michael Bauer, Jena University Hospital, Germany


Two new sessions are released weekly on Tuesdays. The next and final sessions will be ‘S14: Sepsis in Emergencies and Humanitarian Crisis’ and ‘S15: Prevention and Rehabilitation of Long-Term Sequelae From Sepsis’ on June 3, 2025.

You can already subscribe on either platform to be automatically notified once new sessions are available.


Full Release Schedule

S1: Opening Session – Tuesday, April 15, 2025

S2: Sepsis Epidemiology and Clinical Data – Tuesday, April 22, 2025

S3: The Voices of Patients in Advocacy, Research, and Beyond – Tuesday, April 22, 2025

S4: Novel Approaches to Pathogen Detection and Sepsis Diagnostics – Tuesday, April 29, 2025

S5: The Immunization Agenda for Sepsis – Tuesday, April 29, 2025

S6: Pathways for Sepsis Care – Integrated Emergency, Critical, and Operative Care (ECO) – Tuesday, May 6, 2025

S7: Bridging Sepsis Knowledge Gaps in HICs and LMICs – Tuesday, May 6, 2025

S8: Infection Prevention and Control in Community and Healthcare Settings – Tuesday, May 13, 2025

S9: Reducing Sepsis Mortality Through System Change – Lessons from Trailblazing Countries – Tuesday, May 13, 2025

S10: AI Solutions for Sepsis – Tuesday, May 20, 2025

S11: The Research Agenda for AMR and Sepsis – Tuesday, May 20, 2025

S12: Pediatric Sepsis: The LMICs Cannot Wait for Improved Outcomes Any Longer – Tuesday, May 27, 2025

S13: State of the Art in Sepsis Research: Emerging Immunomodulatory Approaches – Tuesday, May 27, 2025

S14: Sepsis in Emergencies and Humanitarian Crisis – Tuesday, June 3, 2025

S15: Prevention and Rehabilitation of Long-Term Sequelae From Sepsis – Tuesday, June 3, 2025


Marvin Zick