The World Health Organisation (WHO) has adopted a resolution on sepsis which makes the condition a global priority for policy makers and healthcare authorities.
As part of the Global Sepsis Alliance (GSA) executive committee, Dr Ron Daniels, UK Sepsis Trust (UKST) CEO, helped to gather information from clinicians and families in over 70 countries, initiating a sepsis resolution which was unanimously recommended by the WHO’s executive board and adopted at the 70th World Health Assembly in Geneva.
Sepsis, or blood poisoning, is the reaction to an infection in which the body attacks its own organs and tissues. If not identified and treated quickly, it can lead rapidly to organ failure and death, and leaves thousands of survivors with life-changing disabilities. Harming adults and children alike, the condition causes approximately six million deaths worldwide every year, most of which are preventable.
The resolution means WHO director-general Dr Margaret Chan will draw attention to the public health impact of sepsis, and it urges all 194 United Nations member states to develop action plans to help save lives and improve outcomes for survivors of sepsis in developed and developing countries.
The WHO has dedicated $4.6 million USD of its budget to implementing the resolution’s recommendations, which include the effective use of antimicrobials, the introduction of affordable vaccines, treating sepsis as an emergency, providing suitable services for survivors, communicating with patients and relatives using the term ‘sepsis’ to improve public awareness and engaging in advocacy efforts, including those centred around World Sepsis Day (13 September).
As the first charity to initiate a public health awareness campaign on sepsis, UKST presented its experience to the WHA delegation to encourage faster and more effective treatment worldwide. Sepsis affects 250,000 people every year in the UK, claiming 44,000 lives and costing the national economy as much as £15.6 billion annually.
Dr Ron Daniels BEM, chief executive of the UK Sepsis Trust, comments: “The adoption of this sepsis resolution is a crucial step in the right direction for countries all over the world who urgently require focus and resources to reclaim the millions of lives lost unnecessarily to sepsis each year.
“The UK Sepsis Trust is well on its way to saving 14,000 lives annually on a national scale, and we are making significant progress with public awareness and improved healthcare practice. This resolution urges all UN member states follow suit: to prepare action plans on sepsis which will treat the condition as a medical emergency, and to present effective and affordable solutions to the global crisis in sepsis management.”
Dr Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organisation, added: “I commend member states for the content of the draft resolution on sepsis which points to the key actions needed to start reversing these shocking statistics. Some successful examples of turning the recommendations into reality at country level already exist, and should be highlighted and used as models. The WHO is committed to strongly supporting countries’ and stakeholders’ improvement efforts in the area of sepsis.
“As part of our efforts, I am also pleased to highlight that WHO is currently coordinating data collection and research on maternal sepsis in 50 countries worldwide.”
Sir Liam Donaldson, WHO patient safety envoy, remarked: “Failure to recognise patients who are acutely ill with sepsis and mismanagement of their deteriorating condition is a major reason for avoidable loss of life in health systems across the world. The resolution is another big step to achieving the goal of making care safer for this group of patients everywhere."
The UK Sepsis Trust (UKST) and Lord Ashcroft have launched a campaign to raise funds for a public health awareness campaign on sepsis in adults.
People are being encouraged to donate via www.JustGiving.com/SepsisUnited and share the link on social media with the hashtag #ashcroft4sepsisunited
