Dr. Mariam Jashi, CEO of the Global Sepsis Alliance, spoke at the first panel of the UN General Assembly’s High-Level Meeting on AMR in New York on September 26.

“Lives lost to AMR are lives lost to sepsis.”

— Dr. Mariam Jashi, CEO Global Sepsis Alliance

On behalf of the Global Sepsis Alliance, Dr. Jashi welcomed the historic progress made in AMR advocacy, culminating in the political declaration of the UNGA79 High-Level Meeting.

However, she stressed that the inspiring dialogue among political and global health leaders and the final draft of the political declaration was missing adequate focus on sepsis, as the major killer of children, women, and men worldwide.

She reiterated that the 4.95 million AMR-related deaths are only part of the 13.7 million sepsis-related deaths and that the lives lost to AMR are the lives lost to sepsis.

With almost 50 million people affected by sepsis every year, including 20 million newborns and young children, and 5.7 million pregnant women, Dr. Jashi stated that we cannot achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, Universal Health Coverage, or aspiration of the AMR political declaration without prioritizing sepsis.

In her concluding remarks, she highlighted that the Global Sepsis Alliance launched the very first global strategy for sepsis – the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis – in partnership and leadership of the Global Health Sub-Committee of the German Parliament. 

Dr. Jashi applauded US Senators for the recent submission of the sepsis bill and expressed hope for a successful outcome of the legislation process.

Finally, Mariam Jashi called the UN Member States, the United Nations Secretariat and its specialized agencies, and multiple public, private, academic, and civil society stakeholders to prioritize sepsis in the Sustainable Development and AMR agenda.

The Global Sepsis Alliance, in partnership with Medical Women’s International Association, UNITE Parliamentarians Network for Global Health, and Sepsis Stiftung is convening a side event in parallel to the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly to highlight the critical importance of sepsis for the attainment of SDGs and to present the newly launched 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis.

This meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, from 9:30 am to 11:00 am EDT at the New York University (NYU) Langone Health.

Joining the free Zoom livestream does not require a registration.

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Objectives of the Side Event

• To present the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis, as the first multi-year global strategy to alleviate the significant human, societal, economic, and healthcare burden of sepsis

• To reach a consensus on the urgent need for reinvigorating the Sepsis responses at global, regional, and national levels for the attainment of 2030 SDGs including the aspirations for Universal Health Care, Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health, AMR, Pandemic PPR, Gender Equality, Peace and Partnerships for Development

• To discuss the critical role of healthcare workers, especially the medical women, representing over 70% of the health workforce globally, in the promotion and implementation of the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis, and

• To call for the establishment of a High-Level Political Platform for Sepsis to lead the integration of this global health threat into the mainstream of health and development dialogue and architecture, including G7 and G20 Summits, World Health Assemblies, UN General Assemblies, and World Economic Forums.

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The side event will include interventions and presentations from the following

distinguished speakers:

• Hon. Ricardo Baptista Leite – President, UNITE Parliamentarians Network for Global Health

• Prof. Konrad Reinhart (online) – President, Sepsis Stiftung

• Dr. Eleanor Nwadinobi – President, Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA)

• Hon. Mariam Jashi – CEO of the Global Sepsis Alliance, MWIA Secretary-General, and UNITE Global Board Member

• Ciaran Staunton (online) – Founder, END SEPSIS, The Legacy of Rory Staunton

• Thomas Heymann – President and CEO, Sepsis Alliance

• Michael Wong – Executive Director, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health and Safety (PPAHS)

The meeting will be moderated by Dr. Connie Newman – MWIA Vice-President for North America and Representative to the United Nations.

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Sepsis and the Sustainable Development Goals

Sepsis is one of the leading causes of mortality, disability, and healthcare expenditures worldwide, accounting for approximately 20% of all annual deaths. This global health threat affects 48.9 million people every year, including 20.3 million children and 5.7 million women during pregnancy, delivery, or postpartum. According to the latest estimates from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), Sepsis is responsible for 13.7 million deaths annually, including 4.95 million deaths associated with or attributable to antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and related aspirations for Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health (MNCH), UHC, AMR, and Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (PPPR) cannot be achieved without robust actions against Sepsis at national, regional and global levels.  A reinvigorated sepsis response is essential to accelerate progress toward health-related SDG 3 and 8 other Sustainable Development Goals.

• Over 350,000 U.S. adults killed each year

• It’s the leading cause of death in U.S. hospitals

• Over 49 million people worldwide affected each year

This is sepsis.

Join Sepsis Alliance this September to learn more about how you can help better identify, diagnose, and treat this deadly condition in your practice. Mortality increases 4-9% for every hour that treatment is delayed. YOU can help save lives and limbs by staying up-to-date on current recommendations and guidelines around sepsis by joining us, virtually, at the free 5th Annual Sepsis Alliance Summit on September 25-27.

The Global Sepsis Alliance expresses its gratitude to Prof. Dr. Andrew Ullmann, the Global Health Sub-Committee Chair in the German Bundestag, UNITE Parliamentarians Network for Global Health, Virchow Foundation, and Sepsis Stiftung for the successful launch of the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis at the German Parliament on September 10, 2024.

We were honored with a special video address from Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus – Director-General of the World Health Organization – for this historic event. The GSA and our Regional Sepsis Alliances sincerely appreciate that Dr. Tedros congratulated the Global Sepsis Alliance for the launch of the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis and thanked for the close partnership and leadership.

The Global Sepsis Alliance hereby reaffirms its gratitude to the staff of the Geneva Headquarters and Regional Offices of the World Health Organization for their technical inputs to the document, and our readiness for continued collaboration in strengthening the global sepsis response in line with respective World Health Assembly resolutions and WHO guidance.

We are grateful to Stefan Schwartze, the Federal Government Commissioner for Patients, and the Members of German Bundestag for attending the official launch of the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis. 

Prof. Konrad Reinhart, Founding President of the GSA, and Dr. Mariam Jashi, CEO of the Global Sepsis Alliance and a former Member of Parliament of Georgia, were joined by the following distinguished speakers and participants:

• Mr. Roland Göhde, Co-founder and CEO of the Virchow Foundation and CEO of the German Health Alliance 

• Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe (Video Address)

• Prof. Dr. Axel R. Pries, President, World Health Summit

• Dr. Rudi Eggers, Director, Director Integrated Health Services, World Health Organization

• Prof. Djillali Annane, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines

The central piece of the meeting was the testimony from Mariah McKimbrough, an artist and sepsis survivor living in Fürth who has recently joined the Sepsis Stiftung as its Art Director.

Over 50 representatives from multiple stakeholders attended the Bundestag event, including from the Embassies of Brazil, Georgia, France, United Arab Emirates, healthcare institutions, private sector, and civil society.

We look forward to strengthening existing collaborations and building new partnership alliances for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sepsis and saving millions of lives from preventable deaths and disabilities.

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Next Steps: Endorsing the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis

Over 70 stakeholders from Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, Latin and North America, and the Caribbeans, have been engaged in the strategic dialogue for the formulation of the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis.

Before its official launch at Bundestag, this first multi-year global strategy for sepsis had received contributions and endorsements from 29 stakeholders from national, regional, and global levels.

The Global Sepsis Alliance is delighted to publish the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis for the public domain and to invite interested stakeholders for the official endorsement and support of the document.

The Global Sepsis Alliance will keep you posted on the progress towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

In the meantime, we look forward to hearing from interested actors in the field – public, private, academic, and civil society partners to join us in Making Sepsis the Next Success Story in Global Health.

Update Oct 7, 2025: We have extended the deadline to October 21, 2024, end of day. Please send us your events and pictures by then. Thanks!

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Original article:

Last Friday, September 13, we celebrated World Sepsis Day, and it was a huge success! Across the globe, countless events helped raise awareness about sepsis, the most preventable cause of death. Your participation made a real impact, and we can’t thank you enough for being a part of this life-saving movement.

Now, it’s time to showcase your efforts – we’ll highlight all the incredible events on our website, the 2024 WSD Event Poster, and we have a couple of other ideas as well...

Upload your event now – it only takes a minute. But hurry, the form closes on October 6, so make sure to submit before then. Let’s continue spreading the word and saving lives together.

If you haven’t organized your own event for WSD, it’s not too late to participate via our virtual photo booth…

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For the 13th year, the global health community is coming together to commemorate World Sepsis Day on September 13, 2024 (WSD 2024).

WSD 2024 marks the beginning of a new chapter in the global fight against sepsis as the Global Sepsis Alliance launches the very first multi-year strategy – the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis.  

Building on the successes of immunization, AIDS, and other programs, the 2030 Global Agenda envisions making sepsis the next major success story in global health. This vision inspires the theme for World Sepsis Day 2024: “Next Success Story in Global Health: Could It Be Sepsis?”

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Patronage of 2024 World Sepsis Day

The Global Sepsis Alliance is honored that Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), and Prof. Dr. Karl Lauterbach, Federal Minister of Health of Germany, have extended their official patronage to World Sepsis Day 2024. The video message from Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus and the written message from Federal Minister Lauterbach are inspiration for our further, even stronger fight against sepsis.

BMG/Thomas Ecke

“Undetected or untreated sepsis is a death sentence. This is why sepsis needs to be classed as an acute emergency. If medical treatment is not provided in time, the body’s immune response can cause irreversible harm to the organs. Claiming 85,000 lives a year, sepsis is the third-most frequent cause of death in Germany. Twice as many people die in hospitals from sepsis than from stroke and heart attack combined. While many people are aware of the signs of a stroke or heart attack, too few people know about sepsis.

Everyone should therefore familiarize themselves with the potential symptoms of sepsis so that when they themselves or others around them are feeling severely ill, they might also think of sepsis.

Among the population as a whole but also among medical staff sepsis must be given higher priority so it is considered earlier on when symptoms are severe.

World Sepsis Day, whose patronage I gladly took on, is also helping to raise awareness about sepsis. In Germany, we are also working to boost awareness of the symptoms of sepsis with the “Germany recognizes sepsis” campaign.

Sepsis can also be the result of antibiotic treatment becoming ineffective on account of the germs having developed resistance. Measures to ensure appropriate use of antibiotics also help to prevent instances of sepsis. This is why sepsis is one of the focal points of the new German Antibiotic Resistance Strategy.

The sepsis resolution adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2017 calls on every country to take up the fight against sepsis by means of improved diagnostics, appropriate use of antibiotics as well as targeted knowledge transfer.
At my initiative, in 2022 the G7 Health Ministers once more pledged their support to the cause. Here, collaboration and sharing best practices are vital. And that is what the World Sepsis Day stands for.

Thank you all for your work in detecting and preventing sepsis. I hope that all the initiatives and events of this year’s World Sepsis Day reach the broadest audience possible.”

— Prof. Dr. Karl Lauterbach, Federal Minister of Health, Germany

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About the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis

The 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis is the first global strategy developed under the leadership of the Global Sepsis Alliance, with the engagement of 70 partner and member organizations from GSA and Regional Sepsis Alliances across Africa, Asia-Pacific, the Caribbean, the Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, Latin America, and North America.

The Global Sepsis Alliance officially launched the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis at the German Parliament on September 10, 2024.  This historic event was led by the Chair of the Global Health Sub-Committee in the German Bundestag. It was held in partnership with the UNITE Parliamentarians Network for Global Health, the Virchow Foundation, and Sepsis Stiftung.

Sepsis survivors and families who have lost loved ones to sepsis played a crucial role in the development of this document. Their advocacy has led to significant changes in countries such as the United States, Belgium, and France. They are ready to become even stronger advocates, aiming to reduce sepsis-related deaths by at least 2 million annually before 2030.

The 2030 Global Agenda highlights the significant human, societal, and economic burden of sepsis and underscores that achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will require stronger action against sepsis.

• Sepsis remains a major global health issue, accounting for 1 in every 5 deaths worldwide and affecting 48.9 million people. Newborns, children under the age of 5, women, immunocompromised individuals, and older adults are particularly vulnerable to this medical emergency.

• Every year, sepsis causes at least 11 million deaths, yet it remains largely invisible in global health discussions and frameworks. Recent estimates suggest that sepsis claims 13.7 million lives annually.

• Of the estimated 13.7 million sepsis-related deaths each year, approximately 4.95 million are associated with antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Yet, compared to the critically important challenge of AMR, sepsis continues to receive disproportionately low political attention and investments. 

• With 5.7 million maternal sepsis cases and 2.9 million deaths among children under five annually, achieving health-related SDGs for 2030 is unattainable without fundamental changes in the global response to sepsis. Enhancing sepsis responses can also accelerate progress toward eight additional SDGs by addressing gender inequality, improving universal health coverage (UHC), and strengthening pandemic preparedness.

• The economic impact of sepsis is substantial. Sepsis accounts for 2.65% of healthcare budgets, with a median hospital cost of €36,191 per septic patient.

• Sepsis survivors often face long-term consequences and require specialized care and rehabilitation, which is frequently unavailable even in countries with robust healthcare systems. 

• Seven years after the adoption of the historic World Health Assembly Resolution, only 15 countries—less than 10% of UN Member States—have developed national action plans or policies for sepsis.

Finally, the document outlines a shared vision for making sepsis the next success story in global health through the following actions.

• Urgent and Adequate Political Attention: Sepsis affects nearly 50 million people annually and requires immediate political attention and investment. This includes support from national governments, international development aid, global public-private partnerships (such as GAVI and the Global Fund), philanthropic foundations, the private sector, and innovative funding mechanisms like UNITAID.

• Whole-of-Society Approach: It is crucial to continuously raise awareness about sepsis within families and communities, emphasizing that it is a medical emergency that demands immediate care. Every member of our communities has a role in this global fight. Actions should be taken at national, regional, and international levels, ranging from policy and health system strengthening to media outreach and community-level activities.

• Innovative Solutions: We need new and more effective vaccines, diagnostic tools, antibiotics, immunomodulatory therapies, and rehabilitation resources for sepsis survivors. Additionally, artificial intelligence (AI) tools should be developed to detect sepsis early and provide timely, life-saving treatment.

• Improving Data and Accountability: Sepsis-related data is limited, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, which bear 85% of the global sepsis burden. There is a need for more comprehensive and high-quality data, along with stronger accountability mechanisms for governments and other key stakeholders.

• Preparedness for Future Threats: Based on the COVID-19 experience, future pandemics will increase sepsis incidence and mortality. The 120 ongoing armed conflicts globally, 362 million children in humanitarian crises, and climate change also highlight the need for better protection of civilians, humanitarian workers, and military/peacekeeping personnel from increased risks of sepsis.

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Join Our Efforts in Making Sepsis the Next Success Story in Global Health

With the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis, we have a unique opportunity to make sepsis the Next Success Story in global health and save millions of children, women, and men from this global threat.

The document has already received technical inputs from WHO Geneva and Regional Offices and endorsements from 29 organizations across Africa, Asia-Pacific, the Caribbean, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, Latin, and North America.

The Global Sepsis Alliance is calling its members, partners, and multiple stakeholders to support the 2030 Global Agenda as the common roadmap to saving lives from unnecessary deaths and disabilities.

Interested organizations from public, private, academic and civil society sectors can endorse and support the implementation of the document by contacting us.

Please join us in celebrating the 2024 World Sepsis Day and supporting the successful implementation of the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis.

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More About the 2024 World Sepsis Day Theme

This year’s theme embodies two key messages. The global health community is well-equipped with proven knowledge and the shared vision outlined in the 2030 Global Agenda to make the global sepsis fight the next success story. The question “Could It Be Sepsis?!” has proven effective in raising awareness, building capacity and saving thousands of lives in countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom. Our goal is to expand these local successes to a global scale.

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About the Global Sepsis Alliance

The GSA is a non-profit charity organization with the mission to provide global leadership to reduce the worldwide burden of sepsis. The GSA is the initiator of World Sepsis Day on September 13 and World Sepsis Congress, a series of free online congresses bringing knowledge about sepsis to all parts of the world, among other initiatives.

The GSA works closely with its over 120 member organizations, patient advocacy groups, professional societies, healthcare authorities, and governments to implement changes on how sepsis is prioritized, diagnosed, and treated all around the world, as laid out in the WHO Resolution on Sepsis.

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Download Press Release

You can download this media release as a PDF here.

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For all inquiries, please contact Simone Mancini, Partnership Manager at the Global Sepsis Alliance.

The big day is here – it’s finally World Sepsis Day! All over the world, countless events are raising awareness for sepsis over the next hours, days, and weeks.

In addition to joining local WSD Events, we have collected some last-minute tips to get involved online or in your institution on our WSD website…

World Sepsis Day on September 13 is just hours away – with this post, we want to give you some ideas to show your support on social media, be it Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, LinkedIn, or something else entirely. Spreading #SepsisAwareness on social media helps save lives!

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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 X (formerly Twitter) (but also everywhere else, of course):

• 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 13 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 13 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.

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

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

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

• September 13 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 13 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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Official hashtags

The official hashtags for World Sepsis Day are:

• #WorldSepsisDay

• #SepsisAwareness

• #2030GlobalSepsisAgenda

• #Sepsis

• #StopSepsis

• #SaveLives

We discourage using #WorldSepsisDay2024 or #WSD24 – 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 WSD Infographics are a great and easy way to improve your posts – both are of course free downloads in our WSD Toolkit Section. Our infographics are available in English, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French, Italian, Arabic, Turkish, Finnish, German, and Croatian.

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WSD Photo Booth

The new and improved WSD Photo Booth is a ton of fun and a very simple and effortless way to show your support for World Sepsis Day – click here, snap a selfie, and customize it to your liking by adding a frame, background, logo, or whatever you enjoy.

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WSD Photo Boards

Our WSD Photo Boards are a super easy and quick way to show your support on social media and beyond – just download the photo boards from our toolkit section, print the one you like the best (there are 7 options to choose from), write your name on it, take a picture, and upload it to Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, or Facebook, using the hashtag #WorldSepsisDay or tag us in the post (@WorldSepsisDay).

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Our Social Media Channels

We are ‘World Sepsis Day’ on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and Facebook – make sure to follow us if you aren’t yet.

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Thank you so much for supporting World Sepsis Day – we really couldn’t do this without you! 💜