Make a personal commitment to fight sepsis and save lives

Every year, sepsis affects nearly 50 million children, women, and men worldwide, taking lives, changing families forever, and placing an enormous burden on health systems everywhere.

Today, we at the Global Sepsis Alliance are proud to launch and invite you to join our GSA Individual Membership Program, enabling everyone around the world to join our common fight to save lives.

Whether you are a sepsis survivor, have a loved one affected by sepsis, work in healthcare, research, education, or believe in the power of global action, you now have a unique possibility to help drive the change and save millions of lives from sepsis.

As a GSA Individual Member, you will help us:

• Drive global advocacy and policy change across 194 countries, so sepsis is prioritized in the national and global health architecture

• Strengthen early recognition and treatment of sepsis worldwide, especially in low-resource settings

• Amplify the voice of sepsis survivors and families affected by this devastating medical emergency

• Advance cutting-edge research and innovations to prevent at least 12 million new cases of sepsis and 2 million deaths annually

• Build sepsis awareness around the world by strengthening our Regional Sepsis Alliances across Africa, Asia Pacific, Caribbean, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, and Latin America

When individuals unite behind a shared mission, global change becomes possible.
Together, we can create a future where no one loses a life or a loved one to sepsis.

“The Individual Membership Program offers everyone worldwide the opportunity to join the Global Sepsis Alliance. We are delighted to invite sepsis advocates, healthcare professionals, educators, media representatives, religious leaders, students, and representatives from other professions to contribute to our shared cause.”

— Prof. Niranjan 'Tex' Kissoon, President, Global Sepsis Alliance

“Together, we can make the fight against sepsis the next success story in global health. Every member of the Global Sepsis Alliance can make a life-saving contribution to this historic effort and inspire lasting change. Join GSA and save lives from sepsis.”

— Dr. Mariam Jashi, CEO, Global Sepsis Alliance

Please join us, receive your personalized Membership Certificate from the Global Sepsis Alliance, explore membership privileges, and inspire your friends and colleagues to join our common fight against sepsis.

Every member makes a difference. Your support saves lives.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and sepsis remain two of the most urgent and interconnected global health threats in 2025. In honor of World AMR Awareness Week, the GSA is partnering with Biotest, Menarini, and bioMérieux to offer three free webinars on AMR and sepsis.

We are starting next Thursday, November 20, with the World Sepsis Congress Satellite Session on “Sepsis and AMR: Diagnostic Innovation and Targeted Therapy”, to explore how innovation and collaboration can change the trajectory of both.

In this 90-minute session, leading experts from the WHO, academia, and industry will discuss the latest advances in diagnostics, targeted therapy, and antimicrobial stewardship – as well as the vital role of patient and family advocacy in improving outcomes.

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Date and Time

🗓️ Date: Thursday, November 20, 2025

🕛 Time: 12:00 – 13:30 CET/Berlin

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Register Now

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Speakers include:

• Prof. Konrad Reinhart – Founding President, Global Sepsis Alliance, Germany

• Dr. Kristoffer Strålin – Associate Professor, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden

• Mariah McKimbrough – Sepsis Survivor and Advocate, Sepsis Stiftung, Germany

• Prof. Evangelos Giamarallos-Bourboulis – Chair, European Sepsis Alliance, Greece

This session will be moderated by Duncan Brown, Chair of the GSA Global Sepsis Survivor and Family Committee.

We look forward to welcoming you to the livestream next Thursday!

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Five weeks in a coma, sepsis, amputation – and yet the path back to life.
A true story about fighting spirit, support, and the power of never giving up.

■ From athlete to intensive-care patient in just a few days
I was healthy, athletic, conscious about nutrition, and even worked in the sports field. There were no warning signs, no pre-existing conditions, and yet sepsis hit me completely unexpectedly. It all started with the flu (Influenza A). “Get some rest,” they said. But a few days later my condition deteriorated dramatically: pneumonia, hospital, then immediate artificial coma.

■ Five weeks in a coma – life hanging by a thread
The influenza developed into a superinfection, leading to multiple organ failure and eventually sepsis. I spent five weeks in a coma. My chance of survival: at most 50 percent. Between life and death – and I had no idea.

““It ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward” ”

— Rocky Balboa

■ Waking up to the hardest news
When I woke up, it was clear: my legs could not be saved. Necrosis on my toes and on my right lower leg made amputation unavoidable.
I couldn’t walk or stand, not even put weight on my legs. In early neurological rehab, I realized: I had to start from scratch.

■ Learning again what once was natural
Breathing without a ventilator, swallowing, eating, holding a spoon, moving in bed, I had to relearn it all.
My brain needed a reset. Even though I am right-handed, at first I could only do many things with my left hand. It felt strange, frustrating, but every little step forward was a victory.

■ Amputation – a paradoxical relief
The real turning point came with the amputation. As difficult as this step was, from that moment, I felt energy again. I wanted to fight. But my body was weakened, and I had lost almost 30 kilos while in the coma. Before a prosthesis was possible, I had to painfully rebuild muscle. During that time, I also lost half of my hair, a side effect of the life-saving medication. Hard to bear, but not a reason to give up.

■ “You’ll never be able to do that again!” — Yes. I will.
I often heard what supposedly wouldn’t be possible anymore. That only fueled my determination. My stubbornness helped me keep going. I wanted to prove that my life goes on.

■ Carried by others when I faltered
Without my family, friends, and colleagues, I wouldn’t have made it. They supported me when I didn’t have the strength.
The support I received at my workplace was also crucial. Through inclusion officers, disability representatives, and the inclusion office. Only through them did I learn what kind of support exists. For those affected, this is an important message: Don’t hesitate to accept help.

■ My life today – different, but strong
Today I have my life back, my child, my family, my sport, my job. Not everything is like it used to be, but much is possible again, and that’s what matters.

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The article above was written by Beatrice W. and is shared here with her explicit consent. The views in the article do not necessarily represent those of the Global Sepsis Alliance. They are not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The whole team here at the Global Sepsis Alliance and World Sepsis Day wishes to thank her for sharing her story and for fighting to raise awareness for sepsis.

Published on October 21, 2025, in The Lancet Global Health, the GBD 2021 Global Sepsis Collaborators have released new global estimates showing a dramatic rise in Sepsis burden and the reversing trends after decades of progress. 

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Prof. Christopher J.L. Murray and Prof. Mohsen Naghavi of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, as well as all contributing authors of this groundbreaking research, including Prof. Niranjan "Tex" Kissoon, President of the Global Sepsis Alliance.

Key findings of the study: 

• 166 million Sepsis cases and 21.4 million deaths estimated only in 2021, representing nearly one-third of all global deaths.

• After decades of decline, progress in reducing Sepsis was reversed during 2020-2021, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Adults aged 15+ saw a 230% rise in Sepsis incidence and 26% rise in Sepsis mortality since 1990.

• Older adults (70+) now face the highest burden, with over 9 million deaths annually.

• Sepsis is increasingly linked not only to infectious diseases but to non-communicable conditions (NCDs) such as stroke, COPD, and cirrhosis — often through complications such as bloodstream and respiratory infections. 

“These findings overturn previous success in reducing Sepsis deaths and underscore growing risks linked to chronic and infectious diseases, especially in adults,” note the study authors. 

These new estimates strengthen GSA’s message for the urgency of action against Sepsis.

•  The findings show rising Sepsis mortality both from infections and as a complication of non-communicable diseases. This reinforces the need for integrated, people-centered care models that align chronic disease management with infection prevention and critical care  - a central objective of the 2030 Global Sepsis Agenda

• Sepsis should be positioned at the top of the Global Health agenda and embedded in health system architecture across the lifespan. Sepsis prevention, early detection, and management must be prioritized for newborns, children, and women, as well as young adults and ageing populations — especially in low-resource settings.

• Sepsis should be fully integrated into broader global health priorities, including universal health coverage (UHC), antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and pandemic preparedness.

• Finally, greater prioritization and funding for Sepsis research, innovation, and implementation are essential to save millions of lives.

These new estimates reaffirm that Sepsis remains a leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and disability worldwide - and that strong UHC-aligned health system responses are essential to reduce preventable deaths.

The GSA encourages its Regional Sepsis Alliances across Africa, Asia-Pacific, the Caribbean, Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, and Latin America, and 122 member organizations and partners worldwide to disseminate this publication and continue mobilizing action toward Sepsis prevention, early recognition, and equitable access to treatment.

On 24 September, as part of the 80th United Nations General Assembly, the GSA convened a high-level parallel side event titled “Sepsis and NCDs – A Hidden Link in Global Health” to highlight the overlooked intersection between infectious and chronic diseases and to call for political leadership and coordinated global action.

Opening the event, Ciaran Staunton, Founder of END SEPSIS – The Legacy of Rory Staunton and member of the GSA Board, welcomed delegates and emphasized that “most sepsis deaths are preventable” and that “sepsis remains the largest killer of children worldwide.”

Hon. Dr. Mariam Jashi, CEO of the Global Sepsis Alliance, former Chair of the Parliamentary Health Committee and Deputy Minister of Health of Georgia, underscored the urgency of implementing the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis, launched last year in the German Parliament. “By implementing this strategy, we can save two million lives every year,” she said, adding that “sepsis deserves to be at the center of the global political agenda and become the next success story in global health.”

In a video address, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, reaffirmed WHO’s commitment to strengthening sepsis prevention and care: “WHO is working with countries to reduce the impact of sepsis through guidelines on infection prevention, bloodstream infection control, and new clinical management tools. Nobody should die while seeking care.”

H.E. Dr. Hanan Al Kuwari, Advisor to the Prime Minister for Public Health Affairs and former Minister of Public Health of Qatar, shared her country’s experience, describing Qatar’s system-wide approach that cut sepsis mortality by 50%: “Leadership matters. Integration works. Data drives improvement,” she said. “Sepsis prevention and management must be embedded within NCD programs and health-system strengthening efforts.”

Representing the Government of Georgia, H.E. Mikheil Sarjveladze, Minister of Health, Labour and Social Affairs, emphasized the bidirectional link between sepsis and chronic conditions: “We cannot reduce premature mortality from NCDs without addressing sepsis,” he stated, reaffirming Georgia’s commitment to “integrating sepsis prevention, early detection, and treatment into our broader NCD strategies and universal health coverage reforms.”

Hon. Alan Donnelly, Chair and Founder of the G20 & G7 Health and Development Partnership, and Guilherme Duarte, Executive Director of the UNITE Parliamentarians Network for Global Health stressed the need for stronger political will and parliamentary engagement to ensure sepsis is recognized as a cross-cutting global health and development priority.

Prof. Niranjan ‘Tex’ Kissoon, President of the GSA, reminded participants of the progress since the 2017 WHA Resolution on Sepsis, noting that “the movement has grown from a few advocates to a global coalition driving measurable change.”

The event also featured powerful contributions from global health experts and advocates, including:

Prof. Christopher J. L. Murray, Founding Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), who presented updated Global Burden of Disease estimates on sepsis and its connection with AMR and NCDs. the IHME estimates report more than 21 million of sepsis cases worldwide, which represent 31.5% of total deaths.

Dr. Eleanor Nwadinobi, President of the Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA), who highlighted the gender dimension: “Women suffer disproportionately from sepsis – and yet women-led health innovations receive less than 10% of venture funding. We must move from rhetoric to action.”

Dr. Connie Newman, MWIA Vice President, who called for “gender-sensitive approaches to sepsis care and research.”

Mariah McKimbrough, sepsis survivor and Executive Director of the German Sepsis Foundation (Sepsis Stiftung), who shared her personal journey through 60 surgeries and two transplants: “Our mission must go beyond prevention. We must invest in survivor care and rehabilitation so no one is left behind.”

Jacqueline Duda, journalist and sepsis survivor, who reminded the audience that “awareness begins with stories – and survivors are the storytellers who bring sepsis out of the shadows.”

In her closing remarks, Dr. Jashi thanked participants and the event’s partners and called for broader collaboration: “Every three seconds, a person dies from sepsis. Together, we can change this. By integrating sepsis into NCD and UHC frameworks, we can save millions of lives and make sepsis the next global health success story.”

As friends and partners in the global fight against sepsis, we are pleased to share information about the 9th National Forum on Sepsis, which will be held virtually on November 6, 2025.

This year’s Forum brings together leaders in medicine, policy, innovation, and patient advocacy for a dynamic discussion on how emerging practices and technologies are reshaping sepsis care. The program is designed for physicians, nurses, sepsis coordinators, hospital innovation and patient quality officers, and other professionals working across hospital and outpatient settings. Free continuing education credits will be available for both nurses and physicians.

Through roundtable discussions and expert presentations, attendees will gain strategic insights and practical tools to navigate the evolving landscape of sepsis policy and practice, and ultimately help save more lives.

Key speakers include:

• Derek Angus, MD, Chair, Department of Critical Care Medicine, UPMC & University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

• Akin Demehin, Vice President, Quality and Safety Policy, American Hospital Association

• Jeremy Faust, MD, Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School

• Kristen Panthagani, MD, Yale Emergency Scholar & Founder, You Can Know Things

• Ray Dantes, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine & Physician Lead, EHC Sepsis Program, Emory University School of Medicine

• Rachael Spooner, Vice President, Center for Virtual Health, Northwell Health

• Nirav Shah, MD, Senior Scholar, Stanford University & Founder, Qualified Health

• Suchi Saria, MD, Founder, Bayesian Health

• Mark Sands, MD, SVP, Clinical Transformation & Improvement & Associate CMO, Northwell Health

We are pleased to share that Prof. Niranjan “Tex” Kissoon, President of the Global Sepsis Alliance (GSA), will receive an Honorary Doctorate from the University of the West Indies (UWI) during the graduation ceremonies held 23 to 25 October 2025 at the St. Augustine Campus in Trinidad.

Prof. Kissoon serves as a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and as an Investigator at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR). At BCCHR, he is also an Investigator with the Institute for Global Health (IGH). His work focuses on improving the recognition, prevention, and treatment of sepsis worldwide.

As President of the Global Sepsis Alliance, Prof. Kissoon was re-elected for the 2025 to 2028 term, continuing to lead international efforts to make sepsis a global health priority.

In reflecting on the honor, Prof. Kissoon said:

“I have so many people to thank for this journey. There are too many to count who have helped me get to where I am today. They say it takes a village to raise a child, but if anything, my journey and work show that it really takes the whole globe.”

— Prof. Niranjan 'Tex' Kissoon, President, Global Sepsis Alliance

On September 15, the GSA team met their passionate supporters, old and new stakeholders in Geneva, all gathered for the symposium “5 Facts × 5 Actions on Sepsis”. This powerful event, part of the 2025 World Sepsis Day campaign bearing the same name, stood not merely as another conference, but as a symbolic milestone, a powerful collective vow to make sepsis prevention and care a global health priority.

Dr. Mariam Jashi, CEO of the GSA, opened the gathering with gratitude for the continued support of Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO, who sent a heartfelt video address. He highlighted that half of all 50 million global sepsis cases occur in babies and children and that most deaths are preventable through infection control, early diagnosis, and timely treatment. “Nobody,” he said, “should die while seeking care.”

Dr. Yvan J-F. Hutin, Director, AMR Surveillance, Prevention & Control, at WHO, reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to integrating sepsis response into universal health coverage and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) strategies. His call for systemic integration underscored the day’s central message: sepsis is not a side issue, but rather a test of how health systems function.

Prof. Konrad Reinhart, Founding President of the Global Sepsis Alliance and President of the Sepsis Stiftung, citing data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, revealed that more than 21 million people die from sepsis each year, with numbers having doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic due to viral sepsis. “Sepsis can strike anyone,” he warned, “but it disproportionately affects the poorest, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.” Tracing the historical fight against sepsis, he recalled how mortality has dropped thanks to vaccines, sanitation, and antibiotics, only to rise again even in HICs. “It’s not about resources,” he emphasized, “it’s about how health systems are organized.”

Reinhart compared data from Australia, Germany, and Switzerland, showing wide variation. He ended with both urgency and hope: “We already have the tools to prevent millions of deaths. What we need now is political will. Sepsis must be treated not only as a clinical issue but as a matter of global health justice.”

Prof. Niranjan ‘Tex’ Kissoon, President of the Global Sepsis Alliance, delivered a rousing message: “Sepsis is a global health threat hiding in plain sight, but we are not powerless.” He called for unity across sectors, policymakers, clinicians, survivors, and citizens, to turn awareness into action.

Prof. Evangelos Giamarellos-Bourboulis, Chair of the European Sepsis Alliance, shared sobering European data showing that many hospitals still lack standardized screening or management protocols. Yet, he also stressed that timely antibiotics and early recognition can save lives, as every hour of delay increases mortality risk.

Dr. Ricardo Baptista Leite, founder of the UNITE Parliamentarians Network, reminded delegates that sepsis is now entering the political agenda thanks to relentless advocacy. Legislators, he said, “must use every tool, policy, budget, and voice, to ensure national sepsis plans become law.”

Dr. Jashi reminded everyone that behind numbers there are faces. The face of the Geneva event belonged to Elia Epifanio, a bright 14-year-old Swiss go-kart racer, who died from septic shock after a late diagnosis. The grief of his parents, Jennifer and Daniel, became activism through their foundation, Trofeo Elia Epifanio.

Mariam Jashi, Jennifer and Daniel Epifanio, Nora Lüthi, and Konrad Reinhart

Jennifer’s speech was the day’s emotional core. She recounted how her healthy son deteriorated rapidly from infection to sepsis, undiagnosed until it was too late. Her message was simple and urgent: “Everyone should know the symptoms of sepsis.” Her courage turned personal loss into public awareness, reminding attendees why the mission matters.

Dr. Jashi responded with deep respect: “Each of the 11 million deaths from sepsis every year has a human face. Elia is that face today.”

The panel discussion, moderated by Katherine Urbáez, Founder and Executive Director of the Health Diplomacy Alliance, sought to unpack the five core facts about sepsis and define concrete strategies for placing it firmly on the global health agenda. Katherine highlighted that addressing sepsis is central to its cross-cutting agenda, given the high burden of disease and the need to mobilize both awareness and political funding. The experts proposed solutions ranging from policy integration to grassroots digital advocacy.

Dr. Teri Reynolds, Unit Head of the Department Performance and Financing and Delivery at WHO, focused on translating global sepsis advocacy into meaningful action at the community level, emphasizing that the alarming global death toll must be contextualized within the reality of individual communities. She stressed the necessity of integrating sepsis into existing policy mechanisms. Dr. Reynolds illustrated WHO’s tools helping countries integrate sepsis into basic healthcare services and inform decision-making. Furthermore, Dr. Reynolds noted the importance of the WHO's education initiatives, such as basic emergency and critical care courses, and providing simple, scalable process tools to improve outcomes without demanding additional costs.

Katherine Urbáez, Teri Reynolds, Cristoph Benn, Nora Lüthi, and Josué Laos

Addressing the underfunding of sepsis, Dr. Christoph Benn, Director for Global Health Diplomacy at the Joep Lange Institute, explored how to mobilize political commitment and financial resources. He suggested that politicians respond primarily to two factors: demonstrating urgency through the scale of the emergency, and presenting a "fairly simple solution to a complex problem". The primary challenge for the global sepsis fight, he argued, is developing a strong "investment case" and translating the problem into "communicable interventions". Dr. Benn strongly advocated for integration over establishing a separate fund, recommending leveraging existing funding streams, like the Global Fund or the World Bank, for strengthening UHC and overall health systems.

Dr. Nora Lüthi, Medical Program Manager, shared the practical insights from the Swiss Sepsis Program, which launched a National Action Plan (NAP) after recognizing a national deficit in standards, coordinated strategy, and quality programs before 2022. The NAP was enabled by the opportunity provided by a federal quality commission committing to five years of funding. However, she highlighted ongoing challenges, including the need for simple, multilingual messaging within a decentralized Swiss system. A key difficulty identified was the lack of a legal mandate for hospitals to adopt standards, which impacts the long-term program sustainability. Dr. Lüthi concluded that international cooperation and learning from the experiences of other countries is "pivotal".

Public health student Josué Laos defined the youth involvement as moving beyond mere representation to taking action in health and political spheres. He stressed that the current generation is keenly aware of the sepsis burden. Laos advocated for harnessing digital platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, noting that youth are creative, highly connected, and capable of moving masses of people. He argued that bringing the voice of families and survivors provides the human context to the data, which is crucial in a saturated information environment. Laos emphasized the youth's role as "conductors of information," bridging communication gaps and translating the message to their peers, making a youth-led involvement "very key" to the sepsis agenda.

Dr. Jashi outlined the facts at the base of the policy and media briefing prepared by GSA for this year’s World Sepsis Day campaign and urged all governments to make sepsis “the next success story in global health,” building on the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis, a landmark strategy developed with more than 70 partner organizations. Her closing echoed Dr. Tedros’s charge: “Nobody should die from sepsis.”