A Greater Focus on and Resources for Sepsis Needed, as COVID-19 Pandemic Highlights

On Monday, May 18th and Tuesday, May 19th, the 73rd session of the World Health Assembly is taking place in Geneva. The Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported on the progress of the 2017 WHA resolution on “Improving the prevention, diagnosis, and clinical management of sepsis“.

GSA salutes the engagement of WHO and the progress made. Significant advances in the fight against sepsis have been achieved, as shown by the recent publication in The Lancet of the analysis on sepsis for Global Burden of Disease study. Sepsis mortality has dramatically decreased over the last twenty years. However, the challenge remains, as the 49 million cases and 11 million deaths annually prove, and increased resources are needed to improve outcomes in the global fight against sepsis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has confirmed that our capacity to identify and treat sepsis is paramount as, in the worst cases, victims of COVID-19 actually die of sepsis.  Sepsis is “a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection.” In the case of COVID-19, the effects on the respiratory system are well-known, with most people who require hospital admission developing pneumonia of varying severity; however, virtually all other organ systems can be affected. This is consistent with a combination of direct viral invasion and a dysregulated host response giving rise to sepsis. Recent studies have proven that, in a significant number of patients with COVID-19, multi-organ dysfunction has occurred. As there are no proven therapies currently effective against the virus itself, it is apparent that the best COVID-19 care includes good sepsis care.

In May 2020, WHO will publish the first global report on sepsis epidemiology and burden, which will extensively cover sepsis from a global perspective. Some countries have also already taken on board the recommendations of the 2017 WHA resolution and initiated national sepsis plans. The recent annual meeting of the European Sepsis Alliance showcased some best practices.

However, more needs to be done. The Global Sepsis Alliance will foster its engagement with global and local stakeholders and policymakers to advocate for a structured approach towards sepsis in all countries and the implementation of the WHA resolution. We call on WHO and national governments to allocate greater resources for improving the focus on sepsis to prevent deaths, long-term consequences on survivors and eventually relieve the heavy burden that sepsis presents to public healthcare and the economy.