World Sepsis Day is tomorrow!

With this post, we want to give you some ideas for posts for social media, be it Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, or something else entirely.

Additionally, we encourage you to show support for World Sepsis Day by changing your profile picture on Facebook to one featuring one of our World Sepsis Day Frames.

To do so, follow these easy steps:

1. Go to your Facebook Profile

2. Click on your profile picture

3. Click on “Add Frame”

4. Search for World Sepsis Day

5. Select a frame you like and click on “Use as Profile Picture”

Your picture will automatically revert to your normal profile picture after a week.

For social media, you can use the following posts, either with or without a new WSD Infographic, although most work better with. All posts are 280 characters or less, meaning they work on Twitter effortlessly:

• #Sepsis is not only a medical emergency, but also a global health crisis, affecting up to 30 000 000 people a year - September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay. Join us in raising awareness for sepsis - awareness saves lives! #stopsepsis #savelives #wsd18

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! Sepsis is the final common pathway to death from most infectious diseases worldwide - these are the most common #sources of #sepsis.

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! While everybody can get #sepsis, certain people are at an even higher risk. Join us in raising awareness for sepsis - awareness saves lives! #stopsepsis #savelives #wsd18

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! #Sepsis is a medical emergency and must be treated immediately - if you see 2 or more symptoms, act immediately. #stopsepsis #savelives #wsd18

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! #Sepsis is the most preventable cause of death worldwide. It can be prevented by vaccination, sanitation, and AWARENESS. Everything depends on you! Join us and #stopsepsis #savelives #wsd18

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! Sepsis does not end at hospital discharge - many #sepsis survivors face lifelong consequences. Join us to raise awareness! #stopsepsis #savelives #wsd18

The official hashtags for World Sepsis Day are: #WorldSepsisDay, #sepsis,#stopsepsis, #savelives, and #wsd18.

Yesterday, we released our new World Sepsis Day Infographics - which you can download here and use everywhere you see fit, without having to credit the GSA or WSD Movement.

Thanks for supporting World Sepsis Day - we couldn’t do it without you!

The new World Sepsis Day Infographics are now available for download, just in time for World Sepsis Day this Thursday. Please download them and feel free to use them as you see fit, on your social media channels, printed at your WSD Events, and everything in between.

There is a total of 21 infographics, nine on sepsis itself, ranging from symptoms, sources, prevention, risk groups, to physiology, post-sepsis symptoms, and more. Additionally, there are two on hand-washing, and ten more pointing out the relationship sepsis has with other World Health Days, such as World Malaria Day, World AIDS Day, World Immunization Week, and more.

The infographics are available as images (.png), as well as optimized for print (.pdf).

Please support us to make sure the new infographics are used widely this World Sepsis Day and beyond - thanks so much, we really can’t do it without you.

We spent a lot of time, sweat, and blood on the new infographics and sincerely hope you like them. If you do, the best way to show us is by using them. We get things wrong all the time, so if you don’t like them or have suggestions for improvements, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Our video 'What Is Sepsis? (sepsis explained in 3 minutes)' is now available in French, easily explaining what sepsis is, and how to identify and treat it. Please share it with your loved ones - especially your French speaking friends - it could save their lives!
A special thanks to everybody who helped translating this video - we are currently working on Portuguese, which will be ready in October.
The original English version, as well as the Spanish, Italian, and Turkish versions are embedded below as well.

To share these videos, please use these links:

French: https://youtu.be/vd2KH5zNbMs
French: http://bit.ly/SepsisExplainedFrench

English: https://youtu.be/AEGUCpxwAlE
English: http://bit.ly/SepsisExplained

Spanish: https://youtu.be/1-pW9BpBQLM
Spanish: http://bit.ly/SepsisExplainedSpanish

Italian: https://youtu.be/dEL__o6WJTI
Italian: http://bit.ly/SepsisExplainedItalian

Turkish: https://youtu.be/oDBJ-do24Rs
Turkish: http://bit.ly/SepsisExplainedTurkish

If you are interested in the file, for example for offline playback at a local event, please get in touch. 

The 2nd World Sepsis Congress has concluded – thank you all so much for joining and supporting the Global Sepsis Alliance in its fight against sepsis.

All talks were recorded and will be available to view on our YouTube Channel and as a Podcast on Apple Podcasts soon. You can already subscribe to be notified once new episodes are available.

We will start with Session 1, 'Sepsis- Still a Global Health Threat' on Thursday, September 20th, 2018, and then release a new session every Thursday, with a short break over Christmas. If you have signed up for the congress, you will receive an email when a new session is available.

The full release schedule can be downloaded here:

If you enjoyed the 2nd World Sepsis Congress, please consider donating.

The 2nd World Sepsis Congress is only hours away – it starts on Wednesday, September 5th at 11:00h UTC.

To make sure everything will go smoothly when the congress starts, please test your system prior to the congress. This can be done in the tab "System Test" at the livestream page (see above) and already works right now.

If you haven't signed up yet, you can still sign up here and participate live and for free on September 5th and 6th, 2018.

As you know, we have over 100 speakers from more than 30 countries lined up to give short and sweet presentations on all aspects of sepsis over the course of two days and 17 sessions. This will include evidence based treatment, epidemiology, prevention, how to improve awareness, a panel discussion with sepsis survivors, and much more.

After each talk, you can ask questions to the speakers directly.

After the congress, we will make all talks available on our YouTube Channel and as a Podcast on Apple Podcasts.

We are incredibly excited to start the 2nd World Sepsis Congress in a couple of hours and are truly grateful to have you on board - thanks for joining, and thanks for granting sepsis the priority it deserves.

World Sepsis Day is almost here – it is only ten days away. On September 5th and 6th, a week before WSD, we will host the 2nd World Sepsis Congress - a free online congress bringing knowledge about sepsis to all parts of the world.

On World Sepsis Day itself, countless events on all continents will raise awareness for sepsis, which continues to be the most preventable cause of death worldwide. There will be events for medical professionals, sport activities, photo exhibitions, pink picnics, gala events, dinners, public events such as open houses in hospitals and healthcare facilities, and of course online events such as the 2nd World Sepsis Congress, in addition to campaigns on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and many more social networks. 

For World Sepsis Day and the 2nd World Sepsis Congress, we have drafted a press release, which you can download below. 

Additionally, we have created a template for a press release, which you can tailor to the media in your respective country by editing as you see fit, translating it if necessary, and then disseminating it.

Download Press Release WSD and 2nd WSC English (PDF)

Download Press Release Template WSD and 2nd WSC English on Letterhead
Download Press Release Template WSD and 2nd WSC English

Download Press Release Template WSD and 2nd WSC Spanish on Letterhead
Download Press Release Template WSD and 2nd WSC Spanish

Download Press Release Template WSD and 2nd WSC French on Letterhead
Download Press Release Template WSD and 2nd WSC French

Download Press Release Template WSD and 2nd WSC Arabic on Letterhead
Download Press Release Template WSD and 2nd WSC Arabic

In exactly one week, on September 5th and 6th, the 2nd World Sepsis Congress will start - have you signed up yet?
Participation is free of charge and only requires a short registration here as well as an internet connection. 
Over the course of two days and 17 sessions, over 100 renowned experts from all around the world will give presentations on all aspects of sepsis, including a panel discussion with sepsis survivors, national and global awareness strategies, evidence-based treatment, the newest research, and much, much more. 
The congress will be held in English and is open to everyone with an internet connection, so you can participate live from wherever you are.

Last year, Mia was a typical 4-year old girl attending Kindergarten, going to swimming practices, and taking gymnastics lessons. Besides colds and occasional bouts of gastro, our family was rarely ill. However, on October 15th, 2017, our lovely girl went from a perfectly happy, active, cheeky, and healthy little girl to critically-ill and in intensive care.

Initially, Mia presented with symptoms of gastro, including vomiting, diarrhea, high temperature, and lethargy on Friday evening. On Saturday morning at a doctor's visit, they diagnosed Mia as having a gastro bug. By Saturday afternoon, Mia seemed a bit disorientated and unable to focus.  She was weak and couldn't put any weight on her legs.  We took her to the children's emergency department. She was diagnosed with Influenza B and Viral Myositis and sent home to rest. During Saturday night, we checked on her every two hours and she seemed stable. On Sunday, she watched TV and generally rested without any noticeable change in her condition. At about 5pm on Sunday, we noticed a light purplish rash on her legs. The rash blanched, which is meant to be a good thing, but we decided to take her to the emergency department again. On arrival, Mia deteriorated extremely rapidly and was rushed to PICU (pediatric intensive care unit).

Poor little Mia was unimaginably unlucky to contract influenza A, influenza B, respiratory syncytial virus, and invasive streptococcal A bacterial infection – all at the same time. Her immune system went into overdrive and she developed sepsis. Her little heart gave out the night she was admitted to PICU, but she was thankfully saved with CPR. She was on life support with around 47 medications, multiple nurses, doctors, and lifesaving equipment. She underwent multiple surgeries to relieve tissue swelling pressure in her legs (fasciotomy) as well as abdomen investigative surgery. She was not expected to live.

Every minute in PICU was heart wrenching touch and go and we watched, hopeful that her lungs and organs would recover enough for survival. Our brave little Mia showed us her courage, fighting spirit, and will to live. After six days, her lungs showed recovery, she started breathing on her own, and was woken up. It was such a relief to have the breathing tube removed and her brought back to consciousness, see her eyes open and hear her say a few words.

She had a bumpy road in the hospital, with a blood yeast infection, multiple surgeries to close her fasciotomies, blood clot, hematoma from her stomach surgery, norovirus, pressure sores, surgical debridement of skin, muscle weakness, as well as being on strong sedative pain medication.

Unfortunately, the combination of sepsis and the medications required to save her life restricted the blood circulation to her limbs, compromising her hands and feet, causing them to die. Initially, we hoped that she would only lose finger tips and maybe toes. Unfortunately this wasn’t the case. On November 10th, 2017, her arms were amputated below the elbow. We waited for her skin to heal before her leg amputations on January 3rd, 2018.

Mia’s arms have healed well and she amazes everyone with her resilience and ability to adapt. Her strength and general health have returned and she now attends 4 full days at school! Mia can write and draw with her arms, she is very efficient on her iPad, she is an awesome power wheelchair driver, and she is extremely mobile crawling around the house on her elbows and knees. Nothing will hold her back!

Her right knee, where the skin was affected most, took a long time to heal and required skin graft surgery. Finally, on a happy day at the end of July, Mia was able to start wearing prosthetic legs and is learning to walk all over again. She can now take a few wobbly independent steps. It has been amazing to see her determination and improvement.

Thankfully Mia’s beautiful, cheeky, caring personality is alive and well.  She has shown such strength, bravery, adaptability and patience.  She is such a joy to be with and continues to impress and amaze us.

Before Mia became ill last year, we had never before heard of sepsis, nor had many of our friends and family.  Through Mia's story and journey we are keen to help the medical community in improving detection and prevention of sepsis, as well as raise public awareness about sepsis.

Please join us and share with your friends and family, Mia’s journey back to independence and onto amazing achievements at Movement for Mia. 

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The article above was written by Amy and Peter Wilkison, Mia's parents, and is shared here with their 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 GSA & World Sepsis Day wishes to thank Amy, Peter, and their family for sharing Mia's story and for fighting to raise awareness of sepsis.

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To help us avoid similar stories in the future, please consider donating to support our cause. Thank you.

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