World Sepsis Day 2019: Inspiration, Ideas, and Resources
© Wolfgang Hanke, Lindgrün GmbH

© Wolfgang Hanke, Lindgrün GmbH

The 8th World Sepsis Day is just little over 4 months away. Below, we have collected some ideas and inspiration for you to host the perfect World Sepsis Day event on September 13th.

Lots of materials for your event is available in our toolkit section - including infographics, pocket cards, posters, banners, stickers, folders, the WSD flyer, presentation templates, pink picnic material, and more.

Over the next months, we plan to add even more material, including new infographics, infographics in new languages, as well as an overhauled fact sheet and new awareness posters. And there is also something entirely new we are working on, but are not quite ready to share yet – stay tuned.

 

Online Events / Social Media

  • Embed the "What Is Sepsis? - sepsis explained in 3 minutes"-video on your website and/or share it on social media (English / Spanish / Portuguese / French / Italian / Turkish / German)

  • Share one (or more) WSD Infographic on your Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram page or story, or put up a post mentioning @WorldSepsisDay

  • Tweet about or at World Sepsis Day, using the hashtag #WorldSepsisDay, #StopSepsis, or #SaveLives

  • Add a WSD Frame to your profile picture on Facebook - go to your Facebook profile, click on your profile picture, click on add frame, and search for World Sepsis Day

  • Add a pink banner or a button to your website or set up a landing page informing your visitors about WSD

  • Participate in the photo challenge - see below

  • Add ‘September 13 is World Sepsis Day – Stop Sepsis, Save Lives’ to your email signature

  • Organize a Twitter chat, a webinar, a Reddit AMA, a Facebook Live, or a Periscope

  • Share the link to our toolkit section (www.worldsepsisday.org/toolkits) with your colleagues or friends, encouraging them to join the online campaign

 

Sign the World Sepsis Declaration

The easiest way to show your support for World Sepsis Day is to sign the World Sepsis Declaration - think of it like a petition against sepsis. So far, more than 9,300 entities (hospitals, healthcare workers, non-profit organizations, corporations, and individuals) have signed the declaration.

 

Events for Medical Professionals

  • Set up sepsis awareness stalls with sepsis quizzes and sepsis information in the entrance area of your institution/hospital

  • Offer special educational sepsis trainings for staff around World Sepsis Day

  • Participate in the photo challenge - see below

  • Organize conferences, symposia, round-table discussions, etc.

  • Host a pink picnic - see below

  • Change the wallpaper of the computers within your institution to one of our WSD Wallpapers (coming to the toolkit section before WSD)

  • Show the "What Is Sepsis? - sepsis explained in 3 minutes"-video at your event or embed it on your company’s website (English / Spanish / Portuguese / French / Italian / Turkish / German)

Hospital de Doenças Tropicais- HDT em Goiânia- GO..jpg
Sepsis Workshop - School of Medicine   V Year Kopie.jpg
DNAe Wearing Pink and Sepsis Fundraiser Kopie.jpg
4ß Simposium de Sepsis en Urgencias Kopie.jpg
Rotaractors_Againts_Sepsis.jpg
 

Photo Challenge

sepsisphotoexhibition.jpg
  • Take a picture of yourself or your team with one of our WSD promotional boards (available in our toolkit section before World Sepsis Day)

  • Share the picture with the world on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, using the hashtag #WorldSepsisDay, or tweet the picture at us directly - @WorldSepsisDay

  • We will highlight the best pictures on our website after World Sepsis Day

 

Public Events

 
sepsis awareness on world sepsis day 2018.jpg
 
Dia Mundial da Sepse no Hospital Memorial Arthur Ramos.jpg
Sepsis Day.jpg
 
La Sepsis y T£.jpg
 
  • Plan sport events - they a great opportunity for people to watch or participate, even spontaneously - organize a sport event like a city marathon, a bicycle tour, a volleyball tournament, a sepsis 5k or team run, a Zumba event, or another sport activity - the possibilities are endless. Hand out information leaflets along the way. Use pink bibs or t-shirts to attract attention, and plan the route so lots of people see you, for example through a town square, or similar.

  • Organize a family afternoon, together with sepsis survivors, if possible. Set up stalls and decorate the area to attract people. Think about having some music or performers and something fun for the kids like face-painting or sepsis-related handicraft work.

T for Thomas School of Origin Match.jpg
Aptahem and MSC Swimrun for sepsis.jpg
Public event 3.JPG
vincenzo+parrinello+sport+Kopie.jpg
  • Organize a gala event or a special dinner - WSD is a glamorous opportunity to raise awareness for sepsis in your network, including for fundraising. For example, check out the Sepsis Heroes Gala Event by the Sepsis Alliance.

 
Sepsis+Heroes-min.png
 
 

Pink Picnics

  • Set up a pink picnic. Pink Picnics are social events where pink is used to signify the relation to World Sepsis Day. You can include pink salads or cupcakes, BBQ’s, treats, beverages, plates, other table decor...and whatever you can think of! Use pink balloons for decoration. Both pink picnic as well as event material is available in our toolkit section.

Pink Cupcake Sepsis September kick off party.jpg
Cake cutting celebration to spread awareness.jpg
IMG_8745.jpg
 

In Your Company / Institution

  • Color your cafeteria/canteen pink, by using infographics, stickers, pocket cards, balloons, flyers, and whatever else you can think of

  • Bake for your colleagues why not raise awareness for sepsis among your colleagues by making muffins with pink frosting, or a pink cake? They will certainly talk about you and World Sepsis Day…make sure to also share leaflets, infographics, stickers, and other goodies with them as well

  • Show the "What Is Sepsis? - sepsis explained in 3 minutes" - video to your colleagues (English / Spanish / Portuguese / French / Italian / Turkish / German)

  • Change the wallpaper of the computers within your institution to one of our WSD Wallpapers (coming to the toolkit section before WSD)

  • Encourage your colleagues to participate in the photo challenge - see above

Abionic for World Sepsis Day 2018.jpg
Conference of World sepsis day 2018.jpg
World Sepsis Day.jpg
 

Bonus Tip: Illuminate a Building

  • I mean, why not? One hell of a way to raise awareness…

Learn to Spot Sepsis.jpg
Vancouver Illuminated in Pink for World Sepsis Day.jpg
 

Promotional Material for World Sepsis Day 2019

Please go to the toolkit section - you will find everything you are looking for, and more. If there is something missing, or you have ideas for additional material, please contact us. Wallpapers, the template for the photo challenge, and sepsis awareness poster will be added before WSD.

 

Media Coverage

Use your network and the network of your colleagues, friends, members, or supporters to see if there is a chance to have your event covered professionally. Informing your local media about your event as early as possible increases the likelihood of them covering your event dramatically. In any case, make sure to take lots of pictures. We will supply a template for a press release in August 2019.

 

World Sepsis Day Event Poster

Like in the past years, the World Sepsis Day Head Office will collect pictures from your events and create the World Sepsis Day Event Poster 2019, so please make sure to take great and high-resolution pictures of your activities and submit them to us via our website after WSD.

 

Why Is World Sepsis Day Important?

World Sepsis Day is held on September 13th every year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against sepsis. Sepsis accounts for at least 8 million deaths worldwide annually. Yet, depending on country and education, sepsis is known only to 7 – 50% of the people. Likewise, it is poorly known that sepsis can be prevented by vaccination and clean care and that early recognition and treatment reduces sepsis mortality by 50%. This lack of knowledge makes sepsis the number one preventable cause of death worldwide.

 

Why Should You Participate in World Sepsis Day

World Sepsis Day is the favorable moment to increase public awareness for this poorly acknowledged healthcare disaster, but also to show support and solidarity with the millions of people who lost their loved ones, or, as sepsis survivors, suffer from the long-term consequences of sepsis. World Sepsis Day is a great opportunity to remind the public, media, national, and international healthcare authorities, healthcare providers, and healthcare 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. The easiest way to support World Sepsis Day: Share the link for signing the World Sepsis Declaration with your colleagues, families, friends, and everyone that should be informed about sepsis.

 

We wish you good luck in preparing your World Sepsis Day event and thank you for your valuable contribution in the fight against sepsis!

If you couldn't find what you were looking for, please contact us

Marvin Zick
May 5th is World Hand Hygiene Day - Save Lives: Clean Your Hands

World Hand Hygiene Day is this Sunday, May 5th. The World Health Organization, healthcare facilities, health workers, patient advocacy groups, ministries of health, and other committed partners all around the world are gearing up to raise awareness for hand hygiene, universal health coverage, infection prevention and control, and, last but not least, sepsis.

Please join us in celebrating World Hand Hygiene Day this Sunday. Share the official song (embedded below) with your friends and colleagues, join the campaign on social media, participate in the free WHO teleclass on May 3rd, or register your institution, if you have not done so already.

Although 80 % of sepsis cases are contracted outside of the hospital (see video below), hand hygiene plays a critical role in the prevention of infections, and therefore the prevention of sepsis.

Consequently, the WHO and the GSA urge all healthcare institutions, all health workers, as well as all policymakers and other stakeholders to not underestimate the relationship between hand hygiene, infection prevention, and sepsis.

Sepsis is estimated to affect more than 30 million patients every year worldwide, and global rates of sepsis are thought to be growing rapidly. In May 2017, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution on improving the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of sepsis, spearheaded by the Global Sepsis Alliance.

Marvin Zick
Kayleigh’s Sepsis Story - Quadruple Amputee Turning Tragedy into Triumph
Kayleigh and Aaliyah Banner.jpg

Kayleigh Ferguson-Walker, young wife, mother, devout Christian, and awe-inspiring spirit is the bubbly South Florida woman who is becoming an international figure due to her ability to motivate countless lives without initially intending to do so. The now 32-year old Kayleigh captured global headlines in 2017 when she suffered a trilogy of unexpected experiences beyond what most people could ever fathom, yet remained steadfast in her spiritual faith in spite of her new circumstances. It was during her sixth month of pregnancy that Kayleigh suddenly became ill one evening and had to be rushed to a local hospital. What transpired next would forever change her life and the lives of her family members and friends.

Shortly after entering the hospital's Emergency Room, Kayleigh was diagnosed with a very severe infection and sepsis was quickly spreading throughout her body. Sepsis not only claimed the life of her unborn son, but also led to Kayleigh being forced to have both of her own arms and both of her own legs amputated in order to save her life. Quite a sacrifice for a woman who was merely seeking to have a (second) child.

Unexpectedly, a lingering separate story of heartache that occurred a few years earlier crossed paths and oddly connected Kayleigh's story to another. In April of 2012, my one and only son (who was a college sophomore at the time) was tragically shot in the head and killed at the tender age of 25-years old. Dealing with the overwhelming stress of such a profound loss, I was soon diagnosed with high blood pressure, which led to kidney failure and other health challenges that altered my life as well.

Instead of remaining bitter towards the world over the loss of my son, I was faced with two options: continue to grow resentful towards the world around me or use my experience as a motivating factor to try to help someone else's life who is enduring an immense challenge of their own. Thus, upon learning of Kayleigh's unfortunate circumstances, which began with her health crisis followed by her unfair termination of employment as a Pharmacy Technician after she was unable to return to work within a few months due to her enduring and healing from multiple surgeries, and being made aware of the couple's mounting financial challenges, I felt compelled to take the initiative to accomplish something big by simply sparking a small gesture. A random act of kindness without expecting anything in return from them or anyone else. And, proof of what limitless things God can orchestrate by using one ordinary person to accomplish extraordinary things.

Strangers to me prior to reaching out to Kayleigh and her amazingly supportive husband Ramon, I chose to follow a Biblical philosophy (* James 2: 14-17 - “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by ACTION, is dead.”) 

After a series of conversations and meetings with the Ferguson-Walker family, it was determined that the best way to accommodate helping Kayleigh and her small family, which includes her husband Ramon and their 4-year old daughter Aaliyah, is to spearhead building her a one-level, ADA-compliant, Ranch-style house that will be equipped with smart home technology, which will allow her to control most things inside the home with the simple use of voice commands. 

On the contrary, critics who've spanned from leaders of several well-known nonprofit organizations to decision-makers throughout the philanthropic community, to even leaders of many church/faith-based organizations across the nation, to members of the general public (and some within my own social circles too) have insinuated that my objective was “noble, admirable, even impressive, but likely impossible at best.” Further made challenging by the fact they each either nonchalantly refused to partner with the Ferguson-Walker's and myself for this project or else they sheepishly offered us nothing more than “lip service,” yet nothing tangible. 

Fiercely determined, I reached out to several homebuilders throughout the Southeast U.S. and advocated for Kayleigh to each of them until one agreed to build the home and sell it to the Ferguson-Walker's at cost. So, this is why we need your help and that of so many others - there is strength in numbers! Accordingly, we are seeking small financial donations to help Kayleigh have a house built that she can comfortably call “home” again. We welcome you, your family members, friends and co-workers to be a part of the 'Kayleigh Ferguson-Walker Homebuilding Fund' by contributing to the project.

Additionally, we may not lose sight of the fact that sepsis, the devastating global killer that caused Kayleigh to lose her unborn son, both arms, and both legs in the first place, is nothing less than a neglected global health crisis. Sepsis is both the main reason for amputations as well the number one healthcare expenditure in the US.


The article above was written by Santura Pegram and is shared here with his and Kayleigh’s 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 and World Sepsis Day wishes to thank Kayleigh and her family as well as Santura for sharing their story and for fighting to raise awareness of sepsis.


Please consider supporting Kayleigh’s homebuilding fund to make her house accessible-friendly or to donate to WSD to support our cause.

Marvin Zick
The Dubai Resolution and the Establishment of the Eastern Mediterranean Sepsis Alliance
Banner.jpg

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.

Marvin Zick
Erin’s Campaign for Kids Nursing Awards - International Pediatric Nurses Apply Now
Erin Banner.png

Applications for Erin's Campaign for Kids Nursing Awards are now open, including for pediatric nurses living outside the United States.

Our colleagues at the Sepsis Alliance created Erin’s Campaign for Kids Nursing Awards in honor of Erin Kay Flatley, an aspiring teacher who tragically and suddenly died of sepsis when she was only 23 years old. These awards recognize nurses and nursing students who demonstrate excellence in their work and a commitment to improving outcomes among sepsis patients.

Awards are granted in the following four categories: Pediatric Nurse, International Pediatric Nurse (nurses living outside the United States), Sepsis Coordinator, and Nursing Student.

Qualified applicants are licensed pediatric nurses NOT living in the United States who are dedicated to improving outcomes among pediatric patients with sepsis. The selected awardee will receive a $1,000 grant and a certificate of recognition.

Marvin Zick
Applications and Nominations for the 2019 GSA Awards Close March 31st
GSA Awards 2000x600.jpg

Applications and nominations for the 2019 GSA Awards close on Sunday, March 31st, 2019.

The GSA Awards honor major contributions in the fight against sepsis every year and are exclusively sponsored by the Erin Kay Flatley Memorial Foundation.
They are granted in three categories:

  1. Governments and Healthcare Authorities

  2. Non-Governmental Organizations, Patient Advocate Groups, or Healthcare Provider Groups

  3. Individual Nominees

In addition to glory, prestige, and a beautiful trophy, winners of category 2 and 3 are awarded with $ 2,500 each.

Applying or nominating for the 2019 GSA Awards is even easier this year, with a redesigned application process: completely online, faster, clearer on what documents are needed, and even prettier than before.

The deadline to apply is Sunday, March 31st, 2019. Please share this opportunity with your colleagues, friends, and other interested parties.

Marvin Zick
Presentations from WSD Supporter Meeting at ISICEM 2019 in Brussels
Brussels106 Banner.jpg

This Tuesday, on March 19th, 2019, World Sepsis Day Supporters from all around the globe came together at the 39th ISICEM in Brussels for a World Sepsis Day Supporter Meeting.

Konrad Reinhart, Chair of the Global Sepsis Alliance and Marvin Zick, GSA’s General Manager, gave presentations on the achievements and strategy for 2019 and 2020, Outcomes of the 2nd WSC and 2018 World Sepsis Day, as well as the 2019 GSA Awards, the updated World Sepsis Day Infographics, and World Sepsis Day Pocket Cards.

Vida Hamilton, Ron Daniels, and Necmettin Unal shared recent achievements from the fight against sepsis – including best practices and strategies to increase awareness in medical professionals and laypeople – from Ireland, England, and Turkey, respectively.

Besides viewing the presentations below, you can also download them as PDFs using this button:

Our next World Sepsis Day Supporter Meeting will take place at ESICM in Berlin in September 2019. The exact date and location will be announced on our website in August, as well as send out via WSD News, for which you can sign up here. A form to register as well as details for the next meeting will always be available here.


Outcomes 2nd WSC and WSD 2018 - Marvin Zick


Achievements and Strategy for 2019/2020 - Konrad Reinhart


2019 GSA Awards, Pocket Cards, Infographics - Marvin Zick


Recent Developments in the UK - Ron Daniels


The National Sepsis Plan in Ireland - Vida Hamilton


National Activities in Turkey - Necmettin Unal


Marvin Zick
Results and Presentations from the 2nd Annual Meeting of the European Sepsis Alliance
Brussels107 Banner.jpg

On Monday, March 18th, 2019, we hosted the 2nd Annual Meeting of the European Sepsis Alliance in Brussels.

Sepsis survivors, policy makers, representatives of the European Commission, researchers, representatives of European healthcare societies, as well as other important stakeholders all gathered in the Representation of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia to the European Union to discuss how to jointly support the European Sepsis Alliance to accelerate the fight against sepsis in Europe. Besides presentations by Konrad Reinhart, Vida Hamilton, and Necmettin Unal, John McCarthy, sepsis survivor and representative of the UK Sepsis Trust and Shahrzad Kiavash, sepsis survivor and double-amputee triathlete, shared their personal stories of their encounter with sepsis and the achievements of the UK Sepsis Trust in the UK, respectively.

In the second part of the event, the panel discussion ‘Why We Need a Call for Action in Europe – the Patient Perspective’ made the voices of patients heard, a crucial and often underestimated component in the fight against sepsis. Our thanks go to Shahrzad Kiavash, Dennis Kredler, John McCarthy, Idelette Nutma, Aurica Pripa, and Arne Trumann for participating in the panel discussion, as well as to Christiane Hartog for moderating it so very thoughtfully.

Brussels100 Quadrat.jpg

The second panel discussion, chaired by MEP José Inácio Faria, explored the need for a comprehensive strategy to tackle infection prevention, sepsis, and antimicrobial resistance.

The 2nd Annual Meeting of the European Sepsis Alliance was rounded off by two working groups, on research on epidemiology and quality of sepsis care in Europe and advocacy and policy.

On behalf of the European Sepsis Alliance and the Global Sepsis Alliance, we call for a comprehensive One Health Pan-European Infection Management Strategy that:

  • considers the intrinsic links between antimicrobial resistance, infection prevention/control, and sepsis control and care

  • understands the importance of overcoming silos within systems by initiating dialogue between sepsis advocacy groups, sepsis survivors, experts and professional societies and representatives of the European Commission, Council of Ministers, the European Parliament, the ECDC, and the WHO together with representatives and advocates of the AMR and IPC agendas

  • promotes awareness of sepsis and the potential of sepsis prevention by increasing vaccination rates and access to clean care, and to clean water, sanitation and hygiene where these are lacking

  • educates laypeople and healthcare workers about early recognition of sepsis

  • fosters the improvement of sepsis diagnosis and management by evidence-based sepsis management, improvement methodologies and systems resource and design

  • supports research and the better application of interoperability to existing national or regional patient-level datasets to better understand the epidemiology and burden of sepsis and AMR

  • and considers that AMR, IPC, and sepsis control and care are collectively a major health threat which must become an integral and cohesive part of any national, regional, and global healthcare strategy

The European Sepsis Alliance was founded under the patronage of the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis, at our event “Sepsis - A Call to EU Action” in March 2018 and is part of the GSA strategy to establish 6 regional sepsis alliances spanning the world, implementing the demands of the WHO Resolution on Sepsis, and saving lives.

Marvin Zick