The Health | september, 2019
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Awareness saves lives
World Sepsis Day on 13th September aims to
spread better awareness on the dangers of sepsis
L
isa knew something was not right
with her mother. She was becom-
ing confused and breathless to a
point that speaking short phrases
was challenging. It had been two
weeks since her cough worsened
with on and off fever. After visiting a local
clinic a week before, she came home with a
plastic full of medicine including antibiotic
and her usual diabetic medications.
Despite completing her medication, Lisa’s
mother seems to be getting worse. Worried,
Lisa brought her mother to the hospital. What
happened next was gravely unexpected for
Lisa. Her mother was immediately brought to
the critical zone and was put to sleep with a
tube inserted into her lung to aid her breath-
ing. It was a case of a bad lung infection of
pneumonia and her mother was fighting for
her life because of it.
What is sepsis?
Sepsis is a deadly condition triggered by an
infection. Infection happens when there is
an invasion and multiplication of germs
such as bacteria or viruses in our body. In a
normal reaction, our body will gather its army
known as the immune system and attempt
to fight these intruders. Sepsis occurs when
the body’s response to an infection injures its
own tissues and organs. This condition may
lead to multiple organs in the body to fail and
deteriorate to cause death. Sepsis is one of
the few diseases that can be prevented and
fully recovered.
Death from sepsis is avoidable by recog-
nizing the signs of sepsis early and initiate
treatment promptly. So how do we know that
a person may be in sepsis? There are six signs
sepsis
alert
World Sepsis Day is observed on 13th
September annually.
that might indicate sepsis known as SEPSIS:
By Dr Tan
Toh Leong
&
S – Slurring of speech or confusion
E – Extreme shivering, muscle pain or fever
P – Passing no urine
S – Severe breathlessness
I – It feels like you’re going to die
S – Skin mottling or discoloured
Dr Nurul Huda
Ahmad
There are various types of infection that
can happen in our body. The most common
infection is meningitis (infection of the
protective layer of the brain), pneumonia
(infection of the lung), skin or soft tissue
infection, urinary tract infection and infec-
tions originating from organs in abdomen.
There are also instances where the origin of
infection is unknown. It is important to rec-
ognise sepsis and seek medical attention, as
commencing on treatment such as antibiotics
early may make a difference in outcome and
saves lives.
UNDER-RECOGNISED:
Sepsis is one of the most
poorly acknowledged
diseases globally, and should
therefore be given better
emphasis by physicians as
well as the public.
Uniting against sepsis
with World Sepsis Day
Thirty million people develop sepsis every year
with one death occurring every 3.5 seconds.
It is one of the most poorly acknowledged
healthcare disasters. Realising the gap in
knowledge, the Global Sepsis Alliance (GSA)
have initiated World Sepsis Day in the effort
to provide opportunity for people worldwide
to unite in the fight against sepsis. World
Sepsis Day is observed every year on 13th
September and encourages people to wear
pink as show of support to this momentous
endeavour.
The aim of World Sepsis Day is to raise
awareness on this condition. Treatment is
generally available worldwide but needs to be
started timely. Once a person is recognized to
have sepsis, it is advocated that treatment be
started within the first hour of their arrival to
hospital. Sepsis is lethal when left untreated.
This condition is undeniably alarming but it
can be prevented. Be sure to practise good
personal hygiene and update yourself with
vaccination against pneumonia and flu. Let
join us on World Sepsis Day, dress in pink and
spread the awareness on sepsis to everybody
around you. Together we can stop sepsis and
save lives. — The Health
Associate Professor Dr Tan Toh Leong is a Senior
Lecturer and Consultant Emergency Physician in
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre
(UKMMC). He is the President and Founder of
Malaysian Sepsis Alliance (MySepsis).
Dr Nurul Huda Ahmad is a Lecturer and Emer-
gency Physician in Universiti Teknologi MARA
(UiTM). She is also a member of Malaysian
Sepsis Alliance (MySepsis).