Media Release: 2024 World Sepsis Day Under the Patronage of WHO Director-General and Federal Minister of Health of Germany
For the 13th year, the global health community is coming together to commemorate World Sepsis Day on September 13, 2024 (WSD 2024).
WSD 2024 marks the beginning of a new chapter in the global fight against sepsis as the Global Sepsis Alliance launches the very first multi-year strategy – the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis.
Building on the successes of immunization, AIDS, and other programs, the 2030 Global Agenda envisions making sepsis the next major success story in global health. This vision inspires the theme for World Sepsis Day 2024: “Next Success Story in Global Health: Could It Be Sepsis?”
Patronage of 2024 World Sepsis Day
The European and the Global Sepsis Alliance are honoured that Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), and Prof. Dr. Karl Lauterbach, Federal Minister of Health of Germany, have extended their official patronage to World Sepsis Day 2024. The video message from Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus and the written message from Federal Minister Lauterbach are inspiration for our further, even stronger fight against sepsis.
BMG/Thomas Ecke
“Undetected or untreated sepsis is a death sentence. This is why sepsis needs to be classed as an acute emergency. If medical treatment is not provided in time, the body’s immune response can cause irreversible harm to the organs. Claiming 85,000 lives a year, sepsis is the third-most frequent cause of death in Germany. Twice as many people die in hospitals from sepsis than from stroke and heart attack combined. While many people are aware of the signs of a stroke or heart attack, too few people know about sepsis.
Everyone should therefore familiarize themselves with the potential symptoms of sepsis so that when they themselves or others around them are feeling severely ill, they might also think of sepsis.
Among the population as a whole but also among medical staff sepsis must be given higher priority so it is considered earlier on when symptoms are severe.
World Sepsis Day, whose patronage I gladly took on, is also helping to raise awareness about sepsis. In Germany, we are also working to boost awareness of the symptoms of sepsis with the “Germany recognizes sepsis” campaign.
Sepsis can also be the result of antibiotic treatment becoming ineffective on account of the germs having developed resistance. Measures to ensure appropriate use of antibiotics also help to prevent instances of sepsis. This is why sepsis is one of the focal points of the new German Antibiotic Resistance Strategy.
The sepsis resolution adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2017 calls on every country to take up the fight against sepsis by means of improved diagnostics, appropriate use of antibiotics as well as targeted knowledge transfer.
At my initiative, in 2022 the G7 Health Ministers once more pledged their support to the cause. Here, collaboration and sharing best practices are vital. And that is what the World Sepsis Day stands for.
Thank you all for your work in detecting and preventing sepsis. I hope that all the initiatives and events of this year’s World Sepsis Day reach the broadest audience possible.”
About the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis
The 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis is the first global strategy developed under the leadership of the Global Sepsis Alliance, with the engagement of 70 partner and member organizations from GSA and Regional Sepsis Alliances across Africa, Asia-Pacific, the Caribbean, the Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, Latin America, and North America.
The Global Sepsis Alliance officially launched the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis at the German Parliament on September 10, 2024. This historic event was led by the Chair of the Global Health Sub-Committee in the German Bundestag. It was held in partnership with the UNITE Parliamentarians Network for Global Health, the Virchow Foundation, and Sepsis Stiftung.
Sepsis survivors and families who have lost loved ones to sepsis played a crucial role in the development of this document. Their advocacy has led to significant changes in countries such as the United States, Belgium, and France. They are ready to become even stronger advocates, aiming to reduce sepsis-related deaths by at least 2 million annually before 2030.
The 2030 Global Agenda highlights the significant human, societal, and economic burden of sepsis and underscores that achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will require stronger action against sepsis.
Sepsis remains a major global health issue, accounting for 1 in every 5 deaths worldwide and affecting 48.9 million people. Newborns, children under the age of 5, women, immunocompromised individuals, and older adults are particularly vulnerable to this medical emergency.
Every year, sepsis causes at least 11 million deaths, yet it remains largely invisible in global health discussions and frameworks. Recent estimates suggest that sepsis claims 13.7 million lives annually.
Of the estimated 13.7 million sepsis-related deaths each year, approximately 4.95 million are associated with antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Yet, compared to the critically important challenge of AMR, sepsis continues to receive disproportionately low political attention and investments.
With 5.7 million maternal sepsis cases and 2.9 million deaths among children under five annually, achieving health-related SDGs for 2030 is unattainable without fundamental changes in the global response to sepsis. Enhancing sepsis responses can also accelerate progress toward eight additional SDGs by addressing gender inequality, improving universal health coverage (UHC), and strengthening pandemic preparedness.
The economic impact of sepsis is substantial. Sepsis accounts for 2.65% of healthcare budgets, with a median hospital cost of €36,191 per septic patient.
Sepsis survivors often face long-term consequences and require specialized care and rehabilitation, which is frequently unavailable even in countries with robust healthcare systems.
Seven years after the adoption of the historic World Health Assembly Resolution, only 15 countries—less than 10% of UN Member States—have developed national action plans or policies for sepsis.
Finally, the document outlines a shared vision for making sepsis the next success story in global health through the following actions.
Urgent and Adequate Political Attention: Sepsis affects nearly 50 million people annually and requires immediate political attention and investment. This includes support from national governments, international development aid, global public-private partnerships (such as GAVI and the Global Fund), philanthropic foundations, the private sector, and innovative funding mechanisms like UNITAID.
Whole-of-Society Approach: It is crucial to continuously raise awareness about sepsis within families and communities, emphasizing that it is a medical emergency that demands immediate care. Every member of our communities has a role in this global fight. Actions should be taken at national, regional, and international levels, ranging from policy and health system strengthening to media outreach and community-level activities.
Innovative Solutions: We need new and more effective vaccines, diagnostic tools, antibiotics, immunomodulatory therapies, and rehabilitation resources for sepsis survivors. Additionally, artificial intelligence (AI) tools should be developed to detect sepsis early and provide timely, life-saving treatment.
Improving Data and Accountability: Sepsis-related data is limited, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, which bear 85% of the global sepsis burden. There is a need for more comprehensive and high-quality data, along with stronger accountability mechanisms for governments and other key stakeholders.
Preparedness for Future Threats: Based on the COVID-19 experience, future pandemics will increase sepsis incidence and mortality. The 120 ongoing armed conflicts globally, 362 million children in humanitarian crises, and climate change also highlight the need for better protection of civilians, humanitarian workers, and military/peacekeeping personnel from increased risks of sepsis.
Join Our Efforts in Making Sepsis the Next Success Story in Global Health
With the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis, we have a unique opportunity to make sepsis the Next Success Story in global health and save millions of children, women, and men from this global threat.
The document has already received technical inputs from WHO Geneva and Regional Offices and endorsements from 29 organizations across Africa, Asia-Pacific, the Caribbean, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, Latin, and North America.
The Global Sepsis Alliance is calling its members, partners, and multiple stakeholders to support the 2030 Global Agenda as the common roadmap to saving lives from unnecessary deaths and disabilities.
Interested organizations from public, private, academic and civil society sectors can endorse and support the implementation of the document by contacting us.
Please join us in celebrating the 2024 World Sepsis Day and supporting the successful implementation of the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis.
More About the 2024 World Sepsis Day Theme
This year’s theme embodies two key messages. The global health community is well-equipped with proven knowledge and the shared vision outlined in the 2030 Global Agenda to make the global sepsis fight the next success story. The question “Could It Be Sepsis?!” has proven effective in raising awareness, building capacity and saving thousands of lives in countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom. Our goal is to expand these local successes to a global scale.
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For all inquiries, please contact Simone Mancini, Partnership Lead at the Global Sepsis Alliance.