The Opening Session from the 2020 World Sepsis Congress Spotlight is now available on YouTube (embedded above) and as a Podcast on Apple Podcasts (just search for World Sepsis Congress in your favorite podcast app).

It was chaired by Simon Finfer from Australia and features the following presentations and speakers:

• WHO Response to Global Health Threats: Sepsis, AMR, and COVID-19 – Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization, Switzerland

• Entering a New Era for Tackling AMR – Hanan Balkhy, Assistant Director-General, World Health Organization, Switzerland

• The Next Generation of Environmentally Friendly Antibiotics – Ada Yonath, Nobel Prize Laureate, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

• Vaccination Saves Lives through Prevention of Sepsis – Seth Berkley, GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, Switzerland

• The Patient Safety Dimension – Liam Donaldson, WHO Envoy for Patient Safety, United Kingdom

• The WHO Global Sepsis Epidemiology Report: Towards a Global Sepsis Research Agenda – Alessandro Cassini, World Health Organization, Switzerland

Sessions are released weekly on Tuesdays. The next session will be ‘The Epidemiology and Burden of Sepsis’ on 22 September 2020.

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The WSC Spotlight: Sepsis, Pandemics, and Antimicrobial Resistance – Global Health Threats of the 21st Century is co-organized by the World Health Organization and the Global Sepsis Alliance, initiator of World Sepsis Day and World Sepsis Congress.

Today is World Sepsis Day - countless events in all parts of the world are raising awareness for sepsis over the next hours and days.

In addition to joining local WSD Events (with a mask and keeping the distance of course), here are some last minute tips to get involved online or in your institution:

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Sign the World Sepsis Declaration

The new 2030 World Sepsis Declaration sets our goals and key targets for the next decade and serves as the north star of our global efforts, jointly with the WHO Resolution on Sepsis. You can virtually sign it to show your support - think of it as a petition against sepsis.

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Follow Us on Social Media

We are ‘World Sepsis Day’ on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook - make sure to follow us if you aren’t yet.

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Post to Your Social Media

Posting to your personal or company social media account raises awareness and helps to save lives. Templates for posts are below - it’s as simple as copying and pasting. All posts are 280 characters or less, meaning they work on Twitter effortlessly. Most work best with a WSD Infographic or one of our Sepsis Awareness Clips…

• Sepsis is not only a medical #emergency, but also a global health crisis, affecting between 47 and 50 million people a year - September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay. Join us in raising awareness for #sepsis - awareness saves lives! #stopsepsis #savelives

• 1 in 5 deaths globally is associated with #sepsis. Do you know the symptoms, sources, and risk groups of sepsis? This #WorldSepsisDay, share this video with a loved one - it could save their lives! https://youtu.be/NsPDjOX8QHA

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay - I am/We are participating to raise #awareness for #sepsis and #WorldSepsisDay - what are you doing? Start at worldsepsisday.org and help #stopsepsis and #savelives

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! Sepsis is the final common pathway to death from most infectious diseases worldwide, including #COVID19. These are the most common #sources of #sepsis.

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! While everybody can get sepsis, certain people are at an even higher risk. Join us in raising #awareness for #sepsis - awareness saves lives! #stopsepsis #savelives

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! #Sepsis is a medical emergency and must be treated immediately - if you see 2 or more #symptoms, act immediately. #stopsepsis #savelives

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! #Sepsis is the most preventable cause of death worldwide. It can be prevented by #vaccination, #sanitation, and #awareness. Everything depends on #you! Join us and #stopsepsis #savelives

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! #Sepsis does not end at hospital discharge - many #sepsissurvivors face lifelong consequences. Join us to raise awareness! #stopsepsis #savelives

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! Join our global movement now - it is as easy as downloading our free #infographics or #sepsis #awareness clips from worldsepsisday.org/toolkits and posting them from your account. Raising awareness starts with #you. #stopsepsis #savelives

• I am participating in the #WorldSepsisDay #Photochallenge to raise awareness for #sepsis, a disease affecting 47 to 50 million people annually, but often neglected by #policymakers, the general public, and even #healthcare #professionals - join the global movement now!

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay - I am participating in the #photochallenge to raise #awareness for #sepsis and #WorldSepsisDay - what are you doing? Start at worldsepsisday.org and help #stopsepsis #savelives

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Hashtags

The official hashtags for World Sepsis Day are:

• #WorldSepsisDay

• #Sepsis

• #StopSepsis

• #SaveLives

We explicitly discourage using #WorldSepsisDay2020, #WSD20, or #WSD - if we want to ‘trend’, it is imperative we all use the same hashtags.

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Infographics, Sepsis Awareness Clips, Posters, Fact Sheet, and More Free Resources

Our WSD Toolkit Section has tons of new material in many languages - including fact sheets, Sepsis Awareness Clips (covering symptoms, sources, risk groups, and more in about 30 seconds), posters, wallpapers, and of course our WSD Infographics in eight languages, among many other things - all for free and just two clicks away. You can use the material on social media or anywhere else on the internet, or even print it.

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WSD Photo Challenge

The WSD Photo Challenge is a quick and easy way to raise awareness for sepsis and show your support for World Sepsis Day - simply print the photo board you like best, write your name on it, take a picture, and upload to Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Snapchat, or wherever you like.

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Sepsis in 3 Minutes - Updated Video

For this year’s WSD, we have updated our video ‘What Is Sepsis? - Sepsis Explained in 3 Minutes’ - and it’s now available in 8 languages. The video explains many facets of the complex topic that is sepsis in just 3 minutes.

Please send the video to your loved ones - it could save their life:

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Press Release

A press release as well as a press release template is available for you to customize and disseminate in multiple languages.

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2020 WSD Event Poster

After World Sepsis Day, the 2020 WSD Event Poster will summarize all events that took place around WSD this year - make sure to take some pictures.

On September 14th, we will have a form available here (URL to bookmark: worldsepsisday.org/wsdposter) allowing you to upload a short description of your event and the best picture, to be featured on the poster. The poster will be made available for download later this year, and be printed and shipped to you later this year or early next year.

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Donate to World Sepsis Day

We are a small non-profit charity trying to make the world a better place - every cent helps and will be put to good use.

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Thank you

Thank you so much for supporting World Sepsis Day - it really means the world to us.

For any questions, please contact us. Due to sheer volume, please allow us a couple of days to respond.

Ahead of World Sepsis Day on September 13th, the Global Sepsis Alliance and its members highlight that COVID-19 can lead to sepsis and therefore actions to improve the clinical management and raising awareness about sepsis are critical and save lives.

“The 2020 World Sepsis Day occurs at a time when mankind faces one of the greatest pandemics of recent times. Severe infections with COVID-19 are in fact viral sepsis – which is often not recognized”,  says GSA President, Prof. Konrad Reinhart, “Severely ill COVID-19 patients and those affected by sepsis from other pathogens — such as bacteria, other viruses, fungi, or parasites — are indistinguishable on clinical grounds.”

The GSA calls on government, regional, and global institutions such as the World Health Organization to increase their focus and allocate more resources to the fight against sepsis. These efforts will strengthen the response against COVID-19 and are key to achieve improved survival rates for COVID-19 patients. We also call all stakeholders to support the World Sepsis Day Movement and the GSA to raise awareness about sepsis worldwide throughout the month of September and beyond.

Read and share our press release below and use the templates to share the messages through your organization in your country.

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Press Release

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Template for Press Release

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For media inquires, please contact Simone Mancini.

Simone.Mancini[at]global-sepsis-alliance.org

+49 176 459 50 966

World Sepsis Day on September 13th is only 3 days away - with this post, we want to give you some ideas to show your support on social media, be it Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, LinkedIn, or something else entirely. Due to the current situation worldwide, your support on social media is even more important this year.

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Posts for Social Media

For social media, you can use the following posts, either with or without a WSD Infographic or a Sepsis Awareness Clip (most work better with). All posts are 280 characters or less, meaning they effortlessly work on Twitter (but also everywhere else, of course):

• Sepsis is not only a medical #emergency, but also a global health crisis, affecting between 47 and 50 million people a year - September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay. Join us in raising awareness for #sepsis - awareness saves lives! #stopsepsis #savelives

• 1 in 5 deaths globally is associated with #sepsis. Do you know the symptoms, sources, and risk groups of sepsis? This #WorldSepsisDay, share this video with a loved one - it could save their lives! https://youtu.be/NsPDjOX8QHA

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay - I am/We are participating to raise #awareness for #sepsis and #WorldSepsisDay - what are you doing? Start at worldsepsisday.org and help #stopsepsis and #savelives

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! Sepsis is the final common pathway to death from most infectious diseases worldwide, including #COVID19. These are the most common #sources of #sepsis.

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! While everybody can get sepsis, certain people are at an even higher risk. Join us in raising #awareness for #sepsis - awareness saves lives! #stopsepsis #savelives

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! #Sepsis is a medical emergency and must be treated immediately - if you see 2 or more #symptoms, act immediately. #stopsepsis #savelives

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! #Sepsis is the most preventable cause of death worldwide. It can be prevented by #vaccination, #sanitation, and #awareness. Everything depends on #you! Join us and #stopsepsis #savelives

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! #Sepsis does not end at hospital discharge - many #sepsissurvivors face lifelong consequences. Join us to raise awareness! #stopsepsis #savelives

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! Join our global movement now - it is as easy as downloading our free #infographics or #sepsis #awareness clips from worldsepsisday.org/toolkits and posting them from your account. Raising awareness starts with #you. #stopsepsis #savelives

• I am participating in the #WorldSepsisDay #Photochallenge to raise awareness for #sepsis, a disease affecting 47 to 50 million people annually, but often neglected by #policymakers, the general public, and even #healthcare #professionals - join the global movement now!

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay - I am participating in the #photochallenge to raise #awareness for #sepsis and #WorldSepsisDay - what are you doing? Start at worldsepsisday.org and help #stopsepsis #savelives

The official hashtags for World Sepsis Day are:

• #WorldSepsisDay

• #Sepsis

• #StopSepsis

• #SaveLives

We explicitly discourage using #WorldSepsisDay2020 or #WSD20 - if we want to “trend”, it is important we all use the same hashtags.

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Sepsis Awareness Clips / WSD Infographics

Our Sepsis Awareness Clips and our WSD Infographics are a great and easy way to spice up your posts - both are of course free downloads in our WSD Toolkit Section. Our infographics are available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Turkish, Finnish, and German.

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WSD Photo Challenge

The WSD Photo Challenge is another amazing way to raise awareness for sepsis and World Sepsis Day - just download the photo challenge material from our toolkit section, print the photo board you like the best (there are 7 options to choose from), write your name on it, take a picture, and upload it to Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, using the hashtag #WorldSepsisDay or tag us in the post (@WorldSepsisDay).

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Facebook Picture Frames

Additionally, we encourage you to show support for World Sepsis Day by changing your profile picture on Facebook to one featuring our World Sepsis Day Picture Frames.

To do so, follow these easy steps:

1. Click this link to go to your Facebook Profile

2. Click on your profile picture, then ‘Update Profile Picture’

3. Click on ‘Add Frame’

4. Search for ‘World Sepsis Day’

5. Select a frame you like and click on ‘Use as Profile Picture’

Your picture will automatically revert to your normal profile picture after one week.

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Our Social Media Channels

We are ‘World Sepsis Day’ on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook - make sure to follow us if you aren’t yet.

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Thanks for supporting World Sepsis Day - we couldn’t do it without you!

The 2020 WSC Spotlight is only hours away – it starts on Wednesday, 9 September 2020 at 10:30h Berlin Time.

To make sure everything will go smoothly when the congress starts, please test your system prior to the congress. This can be done in the tab ‘System Test’ on the livestream page and already works right now.

If you haven't signed up yet, you can still sign up here and participate live and for free on 9 September 2020.

As you know, the 2020 WSC Spotlight will comprise of 6 sessions, with 30 speakers covering COVID-19 and the current worldwide pandemic, antimicrobial resistance, sepsis, how they are all linked, and much more. Participation is free and can be done from wherever you have an internet connection.

Can’t Make It Live?

Don’t worry - we will record all presentations and make them available for free on our YouTube Channel as well as a podcast on Apple Podcats. You can subscribe now on either platform to be automatically notified once new sessions are available. The sessions will be released weekly on Tuesdays, starting on 15 September with the opening session. Here is the full release schedule:

• 15 September: Opening Session

• 22 September: The Epidemiology and Burden of Sepsis

• 29 September: Antimicrobial Resistance: An Emerging Global Health Threat

• 06 October: Sepsis, Ebola, and COVID-19

• 13 October: A Comprehensive and Integrated Approach to Preventing Sepsis and AMR

• 20 October: Early Identification and Appropriate Clinical Management of Sepsis Saves Lives and Prevents AMR

Hi everyone! I am Allison Guo, a 17-year old living in the United States and the author and illustrator of the picture book COVID-19: Not Just the Flu, COVID-19 Pathogenesis Explained Easily for All.

I know that I am speaking for myself and many others when I say that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about many uncertainties and some uneasiness to all of our lives. My heart goes out to those who have experienced tremendous lifestyle changes, to families who have suffered losses, to the brave essential workers on the frontlines, to the courageous scientists working hard to shed light on the unknowns and to generate treatments, and to many others.

Scientific discovery is paramount for societal advancement, especially right now. By following the ever-changing COVID-19 research during the last few months, I was able to bring back some certainty into my own life: the objectivity offered by science journals and clinical studies, however provisional at the time, were able to provide some degree of comfort during times when everything seemed like brand new territory.

One question, though, that kept on popping into my mind was, “How does COVID-19 actually kill?” To answer this burning question, I emerged myself into the world of COVID-19 findings and had the honor of talking to professionals in the field, gaining their expertise as well. This brought about a whole new level of clarity of the new disease to me, especially the undeniable link between COVID-19 and sepsis. In order to emphasize this link and to bring others the same clarity that the science behind-it-all brought to me (however small), I decided to illustrate and write a picture book explaining COVID-19’s pathogenesis in simple terms.

This book details the unique progression of COVID-19, highlighting both clinically-observed respiratory abnormalities (lung inflammation, pneumonia, and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome) and systemic disorders (blood clotting and multi-organ failure, which are the typical features of sepsis). I am beyond honored to be recognized by the Global Sepsis Alliance, whose recent work to advance knowledge of the COVID-19 and sepsis link I look up to. I would also like to greatly thank Dr. Konrad Reinhart for his time peer-reviewing the content of this book and graciously writing its foreword.

I am by no means an expert, but my wish is to share the simplistic yet sufficient understanding that I have with others. The goal of this book is to allow people of all ages and educational backgrounds to learn about the new disease. As a result of this, I hope that, for some people, learning the facts will provide stability to grasp onto; I hope that, for others, it will offer optimism that still much more is able to be unearthed; and I hope that, for all, this book presents itself as an opportunity to understand our current reality through a different lens.

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On the occasion of World Sepsis Day, the kindle version of the picture book is free from now until midnight World Sepsis Day. Afterwards, Allison is kindly donating the proceeds from the book to the Global Sepsis Alliance. Thanks Allison, you’re amazing!

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This Wednesday, on 9 September 2020, the World Health Organization and the Global Sepsis Alliance will host the World Sepsis Congress Spotlight: Sepsis, Pandemics, and Antimicrobial Resistance – Global Health Threats of the 21st Century - have you signed up yet?

The WSC Spotlight is an innovative free online congress and a great opportunity for you to connect and learn with leading sepsis experts from around the globe – right from the safety and comfort of your home or office.

Participation is free of charge and can be done from wherever you have an internet connection.

In 6 distinctive sessions, over 30 speakers from more than 20 countries will give 10-minute keynotes and presentations on COVID-19 and the current worldwide pandemic, antimicrobial resistance, sepsis, and how they are all linked. From prevention to acute management, long-term sequela, epidemiology of sepsis, COVID-19, Ebola, and the newest generation of antibiotics, many topics will be covered. After each talk, the speakers will answer questions from the live audience.

For more information on program, speakers, time zones, and to register for free, please visit wscspotlight.org.

On the occasion of the 2020 World Sepsis Day, we have published an Editorial which highlights current challenges, controversies, and opportunities in the efforts to reduce the burden of sepsis globally in the American Journal of Physiology - Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology.

The recent insights gained from the Global Burden of Disease study are discussed in view of the implications for quality improvement at the regional and national levels. The article emphasizes the importance of an integrative approach to address the impact of sepsis in terms of mortality, morbidity, economic costs, and long-term sequelae on patients, their families, and society.