Section 1 consolidates the latest epidemiological, clinical, and economic data on sepsis and its sequelae, reaffirming that sepsis is a major killer of children and adults, accounting for 1 in every 5 deaths worldwide. Children, women, immunocompromised individuals, and older adults are most vulnerable to this medical emergency. Sepsis is estimated to affect 48.9 million people and claims 13.7 million lives every year. The economic impact is also significant, accounting for 2.65% of healthcare budgets and a median hospital cost of €36,191 per septic patient per country. Indirect costs from productivity losses due to illness, disability, and premature death are even more substantial, constituting 70-80% of the total societal costs of sepsis. With 5.7 million maternal sepsis cases and 2.9 million deaths in children under five annually, the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be achieved without fundamental changes in the global sepsis response. The new sepsis agenda can help accelerate progress towards 9 out of 17 SDGs by closing inequality and knowledge gaps and enhancing universal health coverage (UHC) and financial protection for the most vulnerable. The document also highlights the urgency of synergizing policies and actions for sepsis and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), as the estimated 4.95 million AMR-related deaths annually are part of the 13.7 million sepsis-related deaths. Finally, with increased risks of infections and accordingly, increased risks of sepsis, any future pandemics, armed conflicts, humanitarian crises, and climate change will require stronger response capacities to sepsis.

Section 2 summarizes the achievements of the past two decades in the fight against sepsis. Important progress has been made in clinical knowledge evolution and international guidance from the Surviving Sepsis Campaign. The World Health Organization has also advanced in the development of sepsis-related guidelines and tools that will help bridge the critical knowledge gaps in the Global South. High-level advocacy and alliance-building efforts have led to the historic World Health Assembly Resolution on Sepsis in 2017 (WHA70.7). The G7 Health Ministers’ Communique (2022) and the 2023 Berlin Declaration endorsed by 75 international health partners were two other important advocacy platforms. Sepsis Survivors and families of patients who have lost their lives to sepsis have championed national action plans (NAPs) and evidence-based policy initiatives in several countries, saving thousands of children and adults. The success stories – primarily from high-income countries such as Australia, Belgium, Ireland, Sweden, the UK, and the US – may inspire and guide sepsis NAPs, patient-focused policies, and changes in other countries and territories.

Section 3 consolidates the remaining gaps in the global sepsis response. Despite the documented progress and the fact that proven and affordable interventions are feasible to scale up in all settings, implementation gaps remain that cost lives every day. Sepsis and its sequelae are still largely invisible in the global health landscape and receive disproportionately low political and financial investments compared to their human and economic costs. Seven years after the adoption of the WHA70.7 Resolution, fewer than 10% of the UN Member States have developed NAPs and evidence-based policies. Sepsis remains underfunded in national and international agendas, with no earmarked development funding from governments, international financing institutions (IFIs), public-private partnerships (PPPs), or innovative financing platforms. Even well-resourced healthcare systems document poor clinical outcomes due to insufficiencies in pre-hospital recognition of sepsis, and timely identification and management at primary and hospital levels. A hospitalized patient with sepsis is more likely to die than a patient with a heart attack or stroke, yet sepsis is still not treated with the same urgency as other critical conditions. Research and development (R&D) funding to generate knowledge and innovations, including novel vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics, or AI tools are also limited. The quantity and quality of epidemiological and clinical data remain scarce to inform policy actions, especially in LMICs. The 2020 publications on the global burden of sepsis established foundational evidence; however, the sepsis response needs more sustainable data reporting and analysis systems through routine administrative health statistics, sepsis registries, or specialized studies to inform relevant policies and action.

Building on the achievements in the global sepsis fight, the WHA70.7 Resolution, and the analysis of remaining gaps Section 4 presents the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis and its five strategic pillars.

Multilateralism will be key to the success of the new Global Agenda for Sepsis. The strategic pillar calls for the establishment and operationalization of a High-Level Political Platform to mainstream the Sepsis agenda in global health and development dialogue and architecture. By 2030, at least 80% of HICs and 50% of LMICs need to complete National Action Plans or national action planning (NAP) process for Sepsis with earmarked domestic budgetary resources. The countries should ensure synergies of Sepsis NAPs with broader health sector plans and initiatives, such as UHC, maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH), infection prevention and control (IPC), AMR, PPPR, patient safety, and healthy aging. By 2030, at least 80% of HICs and 50% of LMICs should incorporate services for sepsis into national packages of priority services for UHC. Governments, IFIs, PPPs in global health, and philanthropic foundations are called to initiate grant, loan, and/or innovative funding mechanisms for improving Sepsis response locally and internationally, with special considerations for LMICs. Sepsis investment cases should focus on “Saving Lives and Saving Costs”, as success stories from Australia, Canada, and other countries have documented high returns on investments of relevant policies. Finally, GSA and its partners should initiate regular data collection and annual Global Sepsis Reports to map progress vis-à-vis the WHA70.7 Resolution, related World Health Assembly resolutions, and the targets set by the current 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis.

By 2030 at least 50% of UN Member States should launch evidence-based and patient-focused Clinical Pathways for Sepsis and Sepsis Bundles for adult and paediatric patients, with special emphasis on vulnerable populations, such as pregnant women, newborns, children, older adults, and patients living with chronic diseases. Increased investments in perinatal care, primary health care (PHC), and emergency, critical, and operative care (ECO) services are essential. Healthcare institutions engaged in the care cascade should have essential supplies and equipment for managing Sepsis and related organ dysfunction. This includes microbiology labs or rapid diagnostic tools, ventilators with adequate oxygen supply, renal replacement therapies, patient monitoring systems, antibiotics, and IV fluids. Key clinical processes can be strengthened and lives saved even without new input of material resources, with adequate training on clinical management of Sepsis. Countries should incorporate services for sepsis into packages of priority services for UHC and design associated curricula for all health worker groups, from community health workers to undergraduate and postgraduate medical and nursing students, and for all health workers who care for the acutely ill. Curricula should focus on active and lifelong learning methodologies, telemedicine, and other digital solutions, including digital clinical decision support. UN Member States should also initiate quality improvement (QI) programs for Sepsis, including regionalization and accreditation initiatives. Finally, cross-cutting IPC initiatives should be strengthened for improved prevention of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), high routine immunization coverage in children and adults, accessibility of WASH facilities in over 80% of healthcare institutions across LMICs, and effective AMR stewardship.

Awareness of Sepsis and its sequelae should be improved among the general public, media representatives, and policymakers through consistent advocacy, a simplified new narrative on Sepsis, and the engagement of Sepsis survivors and patient families. As over 80% of cases originate in the communities, public representatives should be able to identify Sepsis as a medical emergency requiring immediate emergency care. Simplified and contextualized messages and stronger media engagement will be essential for making “Sepsis” a household name and holding governments accountable for action. Patients-for-patient support services and groups should be further promoted, and Sepsis Survivors should lead the patient voice in designing policy, institutional, and community-level interventions, including for post-hospital rehabilitation and recovery. Community care-seeking behaviors should be studied and analyzed to inform education and engagement strategies.

Public and private research opportunities and funding for Sepsis should be substantially improved along with investments in novel prevention, diagnostic, treatment, and AI solutions. The UN Member States, especially the OECD countries, are called to allocate earmarked funds for Sepsis research and academic collaboration. By 2025, a Global Sepsis Research and Innovation Platform, an international PPP, should be launched to systematically address unmet needs in Sepsis prevention, diagnostics, and treatment, as well as regulatory aspects. The platform should facilitate R&D investments for novel vaccines, fast pathogen detection tools, antimicrobial and immunomodulatory therapies, precision medicine approaches, and innovations to address sepsis sequelae, care, and rehabilitation needs of patients and their families.

In line with the WHA70.7 Resolution, medical countermeasures should be strengthened for managing Sepsis in emergencies. Services for the clinical management of sepsis should be incorporated into all packages of High-priority Health services for Humanitarian response (H3 package). UN Member States are called to integrate Sepsis-related interventions into national PPPR plans. Sepsis prevention, early detection, treatment, and post-hospital care and rehabilitation should also be integrated into health protocols for defense/military personnel and the essential care services for civilians in humanitarian settings. Humanitarian response protocols and health service packages from leading international humanitarian aid organizations should consistently address Sepsis prevention and response measures. Finally, UN Member States need to integrate Sepsis into the national laws and policies on climate change adaptation.