World Sepsis Day September 13th, 2014: Death from Ebola Sepsis in West Africa and 8 Million Sepsis Deaths Annually Worldwide - A Call to Action

London, Jena (ots) - Preventing infections and fighting Sepsis to
save 800.000 lives each year

The current outbreak of the Ebola virus is unprecedented. The
Global Sepsis Alliance fully supports the call of WHO's
General-Director M. Chan that the international community will need
to gear up its support. The Ebola virus is one of hundreds of
pathogens that may cause a deadly Sepsis. Sepsis, often called "blood
poisoning", is the common final pathway from acute infections. Sepsis
requires urgent specific treatment to counteract circulatory and
organ failure. Sepsis is the main reason why worldwide infections are
the second number cause of death. Sixty percent of deaths of under
five year olds are due to Sepsis and Sepsis is one of the major
causes of maternal death. Sepsis is a growing threat worldwide. The
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued that
Sepsis cases have increased in the U.S. from 621.000 in the year 2000
up to 1.141.000 in 2008 (http://www.cdc.gov/sepsis/basic/qa.html).

At least 10 to 15% of Sepsis deaths are avoidable by: vaccination,
hygienic measures, early detection, and prompt treatment measures.
Hospitals and healthcare institutions need to do all that is
practicable to eliminate hospital-acquired infections. However, as
close to 50% of Sepsis cases develop outside the hospital efforts to
increase recognition, diagnosis and treatment of sepsis should also
be within the Emergency Departments, Physician Offices and Urgent
Care Centers. Suspect Sepsis when some of the following signs are
present: fever, shivering, altered mental status, shortness of
breath, drop in blood pressure and elevated heart rate. We call to
governments around the world to evaluate their healthcare systems'
response to Sepsis and take action to reduce the impact of this
killer disease i.e. by national action plans and financing of Sepsis
awareness campaigns and research in a similar scale to that which has
made the global fight against AIDS so successful.

More information: www.world-sepsis-day.org

Contact:
Ron Daniels, MD, press@world-sepsis-day.org, T +44 79 80608216

World Sepsis Day
Head Office
Global Sepsis Alliance
Center for Sepsis Control and Care

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07747 Jena
Germany
T +49 (0) 3641 9323101
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E office@world-sepsis-day.org
www.world-sepsis-day.org