We are excited to release the talks and presentations from the Opening Session of ‘Making Sepsis a National and Global Health Priority – Celebrating 10 Years of World Sepsis Day’ on September 16 today, embedded above.

Overview Topics & Speakers

The WHO Strategy to Fight Infection‐Related Global Health Threats
Zsuzsanna Jakab, Deputy Director‐General World Health Organization, Switzerland

A Husband and Father’s Perspective on Sepsis
Joachim Greuner, Germany

A Sepsis Survivor’s Perspective on Sepsis
Dennis Kredler, European Sepsis Alliance, Belgium

Keynote: Sepsis in the Context of Patient Safety
Ciarán Staunton, End Sepsis – The Legacy of Rory Staunton, USA

Please enjoy and feel free to share with colleagues and interested parties.

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Release Schedule

Sessions are released on our World Sepsis Day YouTube Channel Wednesdays on a weekly basis, talks individually and the panels as a whole.

• Opening Session – September 28, 2022

• S2: The Burden of Sepsis, COVID-19, and AMR – October 5, 2022

• S3: How to Boost the Implementation of the WHA Sepsis Resolution – October 12, 2022

• S4: Learning by Exchange on the Global, National, and Facility Level – October 19, 2022

• S5: The Challenges of, and Lessons Learned from the Pandemic – October 26, 2022

• S6: Panel – Learning from Successful National Sepsis Initiatives – November 2, 2022

If you want to be automatically notified once new talks are available, please subscribe to our YouTube Channel and enable notifications.

We are excited to officially announce the winners of the 2021 GSA Awards today. The Global Sepsis Awards – kindly sponsored by the Erin Kay Flatley Memorial Foundation – honor outstanding efforts to increase sepsis awareness and raise the quality of sepsis prevention and management worldwide.

Congratulations to all winners of the 2021 GSA Awards:

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WINNERS CATEGORY I – GOVERNMENTS AND HEALTHCARE AUTHORITIES

The winner in category I is Karl Lauterbach, German Federal Minister of Health, on behalf of the G7 Health Ministers.

The Award Jury – comprised of internationally recognized experts in patient safety and patient advocacy – evaluated all award submissions and identified the award winners. The jury was absolutely impressed by:

• The exemplary funding for the DES campaign over a four-year period – enabling education endeavors of the public, the population at increased risk for sepsis, and healthcare workers on sepsis prevention, early recognition of, and the need to treat sepsis as an emergency

• This was also true for acknowledgments and goals that were set in the recent Communiqué of the G7 Ministers of Health, such as:

  • That delayed diagnosis and management and/or ineffective or unavailable antibiotic treatment leading to sepsis is killing an estimated 11 million people per year globally

  • The commitment to intensify the efforts to strengthen early detection, diagnosis, and therapy of sepsis and ensure synergy with antimicrobial stewardship and IPC programs, e.g., through national educational campaigns

  • To boost the implementation of the WHA Resolution “Improving the Prevention, Diagnosis and Clinical Management of Sepsis” (Res. 70.7)

  • To support LMICs to strengthen prevention through capacity-building where appropriate, and access to diagnosis and treatment for resistant infections

The members of the GSA Award Jury unanimously conferred this award because said commitment by the G7 leadership marks another quantum leap in the fight against sepsis, especially since the fast enactment of the goals of the resolution has the potential to save millions of lives annually worldwide.

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WINNERS CATEGORY II – NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS, PATIENT ADVOCATE GROUPS, OR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER GROUPS

The winner in category II is the Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, USA.

Houston Methodist Hospital identified a high sepsis-related mortality rate in 2005. Since then, the hospital has embarked on a rigorous journey focusing on sepsis management and process improvement. This led to a multidisciplinary approach for creating and implementing innovative principles of sepsis identification, management, education, and follow-up, resulting in new protocols, processes/procedures across the hospital system and beyond. The effort required extensive collaboration with staff, hospital units, and leadership across the hospital system, including involvement with community leaders and partnerships with other healthcare systems.

Getting to this point was no easy task. They found that focusing on collaboration, technology, education, and awareness was key in guiding and informing their mission. With this in mind, The Houston Methodist Sepsis Care Management Process Improvement Program was created to support and drive:

• New education programs and initiatives domestic and international

• Relentless revising and modification of protocols, processes, manpower, etc.

• Set standard for Sepsis diagnosis – Sepsis Early Recognition and Response Initiative (SERRI)

  • This sepsis initiative has since expanded to other institutions. Houston Methodist Hospital was awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (CMS) Health Care Innovation Awards program to further expand its program to involve nursing schools, private and academic institutions, Long term Acute Care, and skilled nursing facilities in several Texas cities.

• Many conferences, symposia, domestic, and international outreach

• Quality improvement programs leveraging technology such as care sense and post-sepsis recovery

The results of these efforts so far:

• The sepsis mortality rate has been reduced from a high of 35% in 2008 to 8.2% as of July 2022

• Potential lives saved (from 2009-June/ 2022) is 2224

• Potential cost savings (from 2009-June/2022) is $98 million

In short, their work has led to an organizational transformation that has significantly reduced the mortality of sepsis, and allowed them to share our knowledge here and abroad; with our colleagues, and with the communities we serve. But their work continues.

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WINNERS CATEGORY III – INDIVIDUAL NOMINEES

The winners in category III are Victorien Dougnon from Benin and Matthew Wiens from Canada.

Sepsis surveillance data are almost non-existent, biological diagnosis of sepsis is inaccessible and antibiotic resistance handicaps optimal management of sepsis cases in Benin. For this reason, Dr. Victorien Tamègnon DOUGNON (https://dougnonvictorien.bj), Associate Professor in Microbiology at the University of Abomey-Calavi (Benin), Country Ambassador of American Society for Microbiology, Champion of Microbiology Society, President of Benin Young Academy of Science and Head of the Research Unit in Applied Microbiology and Pharmacology of natural substances (https://urmapha-epacuac.bj), has been committed for 2-3 years to improve the surveillance, diagnosis, and management of sepsis. Indeed, he contributed to documenting the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Beninese health care personnel (physicians, pharmacists, and laboratory technicians) regarding the management of sepsis and especially in relation to the use of antibiotics. These data have proven to be very useful for effective advocacy to increase the population's knowledge of the disease. It is within this framework that several mass sensitization activities supported by policies have been conducted under his leadership.

Very active and tireless, the young researcher has organized several workshops involving high-level policymakers to issue guidelines and ways to improve the gaps observed. He has also nurtured a strong collaboration with several international institutions including PSR Finland (https://lsv.fi/english/) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland. At the national level, he works with the CeRADIS (a Beninese NGO, http://www.ceradis.org) and the Ministry of Health to impact 24 clinical laboratories, 10 trainers of trainers (biologists), 50 trained clinical laboratory personnel in total, numerous infectious diseases doctors, the general public and civil society in Benin.

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Matthew Wiens is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Therapeutics at the University of British Columbia and is a member of the Center for International Child Health at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, BC. He is a global health epidemiologist and public health researcher dedicated to improving the outcomes for children with sepsis after discharge.

His recognition that post-discharge mortality confers a similar burden as hospital mortality led him to Uganda to develop the Smart Discharges program to improve the hospital-to-home transition following admissions for sepsis. Matthew has built a robust team including partnerships with many institutions in Uganda. He has led several cohorts and interventional studies with enrollments of over 10 thousand children who are admitted with sepsis.

The prediction models developed by Matthew’s team have been wedded to innovative digital technology interventions, which have demonstrated improved discharge practices, post-discharge follow-up as well as better health outcomes among children after discharge. His partnership with the Uganda ministry of health has led to the implementation of Smart Discharges in 19 facilities in Uganda. He continues to extend this program throughout Uganda, has initiated studies in Rwanda, and is seeking further expansion into Tanzania.

Working with Walimu and other partners, Matthew continues to expand the Smart Discharges model of care for other high-risk groups, such as mother-baby dyads discharged from facility births, as well as school-aged children and adolescents admitted with suspected sepsis. Matthew’s research is funded by various organizations, including the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, Grand Challenges Canada, the Thrasher Research Fund, and the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation.

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About the GSA Awards

The Global Sepsis Awards – kindly sponsored by the Erin Kay Flatley Memorial Foundation – honor outstanding efforts to increase sepsis awareness and raise the quality of sepsis prevention and management worldwide. The awards are granted in three categories, namely governments and healthcare authorities, non-governmental organizations, patient advocate or healthcare provider groups, and individuals, consistent with the aims of the World Sepsis Declaration and the World Sepsis Day Movement.

Applications and nominations for the 2022 GSA Awards will open soon.

The 5th Annual Meeting of the ESA is just hours away, starting at 11:00h CEST on Tuesday, September 20. It’s a hybrid event – in addition to joining in person in Brussels, you can also connect via the free live stream.

The 5th Annual ESA Meeting provides a unique opportunity to hear from policymakers, experts, and patients about progress in sepsis management and integration in health systems, and open challenges requiring a united response. We are excited to confirm that Stella Kyriakides, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, will provide opening remarks. The physical event will be kindly hosted by the Permanent Representation of Germany to the EU, while the online live stream will be available on our website.

Our big event is tomorrow – and it’s not too late to register for the free live stream.

We will start at 11:00h Berlin Time on Friday, September 16, and will have over 40 amazing speakers, panelists, and moderators discussing a wide variety of topics relating to sepsis.

The event is jointly organized by the Global Sepsis Alliance and the Sepsis Stiftung and will conclude with a fundraising dinner, featuring international artists who share our commitment to the vision of “A World Free of Sepsis”.

We are excited to welcome you to Berlin in person or see you on the free live stream for the symposium and the best-practices panel.

Update: Deadline extended to Friday, October 14, 2022

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As you know, World Sepsis Day took place yesterday, September 13. Countless events all over the world raised awareness for sepsis and continue to do so – thank you so much for participating, for your continued support, and for saving lives worldwide.

Like in the last years, we will summarize all events on the WSD Event Poster – please upload your event now via our new world map, it takes less than a minute. Uploads close in two weeks, on September 28.

Important Instructions – Read Carefully

1. You can upload up to 20 pictures – we will choose the best/most representative for the Poster.

2. If you have hosted multiple events, please submit them individually.

3. Since the poster will eventually be printed, please make sure to submit high-quality images. Try to avoid compressed files. Compressing can happen when sending pictures through messengers, such as WhatsApp. In such a case, please get the original file from the person who took the picture, or ask that person to upload the picture directly. Uploads from mobile are possible.

4. Please use only the World Map to submit your events - we can’t use pictures that are emailed to us or sent through social media.

We plan to complete the poster by November, and we will make it available for download, as well as mail out printed copies, which you will be able to order free of charge via our online shop.

Please point your colleagues and friends to our website to submit their events, especially if you know that they did an event for World Sepsis Day – thanks so much.

If you adhered to the instructions above and have problems, or for any other questions, please contact us.

A coordinated national action plan to stop sepsis-related preventable deaths and to improve the support of people affected by sepsis in Switzerland

Sepsis is when our body’s response to infection causes a shutdown of vital organs. It is a devastating disease responsible for over 10 million deaths worldwide every year. In Switzerland, studies have estimated that sepsis affects about 20,000 people and causes almost 3,500 deaths every year. Up to half of those who survive will suffer long-term, sometimes life-long, adverse consequences of sepsis. Sepsis can affect people of any age and health condition. The most vulnerable groups are newborns and young infants, the elderly, and people with chronic health conditions or reduced immune defenses.

In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared sepsis a global health priority. The 2021 European Sepsis Report revealed that – contrary to other European countries – Switzerland had not yet actioned the sepsis resolution. In response, a group of over 50 sepsis experts (including clinical, academic, and policy professionals, and sepsis survivors) reviewed the needs, gaps, and strategies to address sepsis in Switzerland.

The expert panel identified sepsis as a key priority that requires a coordinated national approach and formulated a Swiss Sepsis National Action Plan (SSNAP). The four key recommendations include:

1. Raising awareness of sepsis in the public as well as improving sepsis-specific education in the healthcare workforce, and improving prevention of sepsis.

2. Establishing and implementing standards for rapid detection, treatment, and follow-up in sepsis patients.

3. Creating support systems for sepsis survivors.

4. Promoting research on sepsis.

The panel encouraged realistic strategies, fitting to the Swiss context, which is guided by evidence. Specifically, Switzerland should learn from successful sepsis programs in other countries, while using the local expertise, networks, and culture to meet the needs of the Swiss population. The Swiss Sepsis National Action Plan lists specific recommendations which should result in improved patient-centered care in Switzerland. The implementation of these recommendations is expected to save lives, reduce the long-term burden of sepsis on families, and reduce costs for the Swiss health care system.

The SSNAP has been endorsed by the following Swiss professional societies:

• Interest Group Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care (IGPNI) Switzerland

• Pediatric Infectious Disease Group of Switzerland (PIGS)

• Public Health Swiss

• Swiss Institute for Medical Education and Training (SIWF)

• Swiss Patient Safety Foundation

• Swiss Society for Infectious Diseases (SGINF)

• Swiss Society of Emergency and Rescue Medicine (SGNOR)

• Swiss Society of General Internal Medicine (SSGIM)

• Swiss Society of Intensive Care Medicine (SSICM)

• Swiss Society of Microbiology (SGM-SSM)

• Swiss Society of Neonatology

• Swiss Society of Pediatrics (SGP)

The big day is here – it’s finally World Sepsis Day! All over the world, countless events are raising awareness for sepsis over the next hours, days, and weeks.

In addition to joining local WSD Events, here are some last-minute tips to get involved online or in your institution.

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Add Your Event to the World Map

Let us (and everybody else) know what you are doing for WSD – upload your event to our new World Map now!

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WSD PHOTO BOOTH

The new WSD Photo Booth is a ton of fun and a very quick and easy way to show your support for World Sepsis Day – just click here, snap a selfie, and customize it to your liking by adding a frame, background, logo, or whatever you enjoy.

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Take/Share the World Sepsis Day Quiz

Test your knowledge about sepsis or challenge a colleague, friend, or family member. Available in a version for the general public as well as for medical professionals - both in an online version as well as a printable PDF version…

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Sign the World Sepsis Declaration

The new 2030 World Sepsis Declaration sets our goals and key targets for the next decade and serves as the north star of our global efforts, jointly with the WHO Resolution on Sepsis. You can virtually sign it to show your support – think of it as a petition against sepsis.

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Follow Us on Social Media

We are ‘World Sepsis Day’ on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook - make sure to follow us if you aren’t yet.

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Post to Your Social Media

Posting to your personal or company social media account raises awareness and helps to save lives. Templates for posts are below – it’s as simple as copying and pasting. All posts are 280 characters or less, meaning they work effortlessly on Twitter (but also everywhere else, of course). Most work best with a WSD Infographic or one of our Sepsis Awareness Clips…

• 1 in 5 deaths globally is associated with #sepsis. Do you know the symptoms, sources, and risk groups of sepsis? This #WorldSepsisDay, share this video with a loved one - it could save their lives! https://youtu.be/NsPDjOX8QHA

• September 13 is #WorldSepsisDay! Sepsis is the final common pathway to death from most infectious diseases worldwide, including #COVID19. These are the most common #sources of #sepsis.

• Sepsis is not only a medical #emergency but also a global health crisis, affecting between 47 and 50 million people a year - September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay. Join us in raising awareness for #sepsis - awareness saves lives! #stopsepsis #savelives

• September 13 is #WorldSepsisDay - I am/We are participating to raise #awareness for #sepsis and #WorldSepsisDay - what are you doing? Start at worldsepsisday.org and help #stopsepsis and #savelives

• September 13 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

• 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

• 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

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

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! Join our global movement now - it is as easy as downloading our free #infographics or #sepsis #awareness clips from worldsepsisday.org/toolkits and posting them from your account. Raising awareness starts with #you. #stopsepsis #savelives

• I am participating in the #WorldSepsisDay #Photochallenge to raise awareness for #sepsis, a disease affecting 47 to 50 million people annually, but often neglected by #policymakers, the general public, and even #healthcare #professionals - join the global movement now!

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay - I am participating in the #photochallenge to raise #awareness for #sepsis and #WorldSepsisDay - what are you doing? Start at worldsepsisday.org and help #stopsepsis #savelives

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Hashtags

The official hashtags for World Sepsis Day are:

• #WorldSepsisDay

• #10YearsWSD

• #Sepsis

• #StopSepsis

• #SaveLives

We discourage using #WorldSepsisDay2022 or #WSD22 – if we want to “trend”, it is important we all use the same hashtags.

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Infographics, Sepsis Awareness Clips, Posters, Fact Sheet, and More Free Resources

Our WSD Toolkit Section has tons of new material in many languages - including fact sheets, Sepsis Awareness Clips (covering symptoms, sources, risk groups, and more in about 30 seconds), posters, wallpapers, and of course our WSD Infographics in nine languages, among many other things - all for free and just two clicks away. You can use the material on social media or anywhere else on the internet, or print it.

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WSD Photo Boards

The WSD Photo Boards are a quick and easy way to raise awareness for sepsis and show your support for World Sepsis Day - simply print the photo board you like best, write your name on it, take a picture, and upload to Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Snapchat, or wherever you like.

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Sepsis in 3 Minutes

One of the easiest ways to let your loved ones know about sepsis remains to send them our video ‘What Is Sepsis? - Sepsis Explained in 3 Minutes’ - and it’s now available in 9 languages. The video explains many facets of the complex topic that is sepsis in just 3 minutes.

Please send the video to your loved ones - it could save their life:

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Press Release

A press release is available here.

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2022 WSD Event Poster

After World Sepsis Day, the 2022 WSD Event Poster will summarize all events that took place around WSD this year – make sure to take some pictures.

Please upload your events via our new interactive World Map. It allows uploading a short description of your event, the location, and up to 20 pictures. We will choose the best / most representative picture for the poster. The poster will be made available for download later this year, and be printed and shipped to you later this year.

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#10YearsWSD-Event on Friday, September 16

On Friday, September 16, the GSA and the Sepsis Stiftung will join forces to host a unique event celebrating a decade of World Sepsis Day – both in person in Berlin, as well as live-streamed on the event website.

The event is split up into 3 parts – a scientific symposium with renowned speakers from all over the world, an international best-practices panel, and a celebration and fundraising event in the evening.

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Donate to World Sepsis Day

We are a small non-profit charity trying to make the world a better place – every cent helps and will be put to good use.

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Thank you

Thank you so much for supporting World Sepsis Day – it really means the world to us.

For any questions, please contact us. Due to sheer volume, please allow us a couple of days to respond.

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.

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For media inquires, please contact Simone Mancini.

Simone.Mancini[at]global-sepsis-alliance.org

+49 30 450 55 14 17