The Declaration
The founding members of the Global Sepsis Alliance (GSA), the World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine (WFSICCM), the World Federation of Pediatric and Intensive and Critical Care Societies (WFPICCS), the World Federation of Critical Care Nurses (WFCCN), the International Sepsis Forum (ISF), and the Sepsis Alliance (SA) have prepared the World Sepsis Declaration set targets to change the global burden of sepsis by 2020.
Professional associations from 69 countries, representing more than 600,000 individual members, support the World Sepsis Day. The aim of this coalition is to alert health policymakers everywhere to the growing burden of sepsis at the national, regional and global levels, and to work towards achieving the targets for 2020 as laid down in the World Sepsis Declaration. The World Sepsis Day coalition also includes sepsis advocacy groups and organizations dedicated to fighting sepsis across the world. Register here to join our movement and to sign the World Sepsis Declaration.
The World Sepsis Declaration
Sepsis is one of the world’s most common yet least-recognized illnesses. It affects both developed and developing countries. Every year, 20 to 30 million people across the globe develop sepsis, including over 6 million infants and young children and 100,000 new mothers. Every few seconds, someone in the world dies of sepsis.
The number of sepsis cases is increasing dramatically in the developed world, by an annual rate of 8-13% over just the past decade. It now claims more lives than breast, prostate and lung cancer combined. There are many reasons for this increase. In the developed world, they include the aging of the population, the increasing number of high-risk surgeries in all age groups, and the development of virulent, drug-resistant strains of infections. In the developing world, malnutrition, poverty, and the lack of access to vaccines and timely treatment all contribute to the spread of this deadly disease.
Despite its remarkable incidence, sepsis is practically unknown to the public, and is often misunderstood as blood poisoning. Sepsis arises when the body’s response to an infection damages its own tissues and organs. It can lead to shock, multiple organ failure, and death, especially if it is not recognized early and treated promptly. Despite advances in modern medicine, including vaccines, antibiotics, and acute care, sepsis remains the world’s leading cause of death from infection, with mortality rates between 30 and 60%.
Sources
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Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2011.
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