The Opening Session from the 5th World Sepsis Congress is now available on YouTube (embedded above) and as a podcast wherever you get your podcasts (search for World Sepsis Congress in your favorite podcast app, Apple Podcast link).

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Session 1: Opening Session

Moderated by Shahrzad Kiavash, Sepsis Survivor from Sweden

Opening Remarks
Niranjan ‘Tex’ Kissoon, Global Sepsis Alliance, Canada

Video Address by WHO Director-General
Dr. Tedros Adhanmon Ghebreyesus, Director-General World Health Organization, Switzerland

The Ministerial Perspective on the Sepsis Response
Frank C.S. Anthony, Minister of Health, Guyana

Sepsis Response Through a Parliamentarian Lens
Craig Mackinlay, Member of the UK House of Lords, United Kingdom

The Potential of AI in Global Health and the Global Sepsis Response
Ricardo Baptista-Leite, HealthAI, Switzerland

Remaining Challenges in the Global Sepsis Response
Konrad Reinhart, Sepsis Stiftung, Germany

Implementing the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis
Mariam Jashi, Global Sepsis Alliance, Georgia

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Two new sessions are released weekly on Tuesdays. The next sessions will be ‘S2: Sepsis Epidemiology and Clinical Data’ and ‘S3: The Voices of Patients in Advocacy, Research, and Beyond’

You can already subscribe on either platform to be automatically notified once new sessions are available.

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Full Release Schedule

S1: Opening Session – Tuesday, April 15, 2025

S2: Sepsis Epidemiology and Clinical Data – Tuesday, April 22, 2025

S3: The Voices of Patients in Advocacy, Research, and Beyond – Tuesday, April 22, 2025

S4: Novel Approaches to Pathogen Detection and Sepsis Diagnostics – Tuesday, April 29, 2025

S5: The Immunization Agenda for Sepsis – Tuesday, April 29, 2025

S6: Pathways for Sepsis Care – Integrated Emergency, Critical, and Operative Care (ECO) – Tuesday, May 6, 2025

S7: Bridging Sepsis Knowledge Gaps in HICs and LMICs – Tuesday, May 6, 2025

S8: Infection Prevention and Control in Community and Healthcare Settings – Tuesday, May 13, 2025

S9: Reducing Sepsis Mortality Through System Change – Lessons from Trailblazing Countries? – Tuesday, May 13, 2025

S10: AI Solutions for Sepsis – Tuesday, May 20, 2025

S11: The Research Agenda for AMR and Sepsis – Tuesday, May 20, 2025

S12: Pediatric Sepsis: The LMICs Cannot Wait for Improved Outcomes Any Longer – Tuesday, May 27, 2025

S13: State of the Art in Sepsis Research: Emerging Immunomodulatory Approaches – Tuesday, May 27, 2025

S14: Sepsis in Emergencies and Humanitarian Crisis – Tuesday, June 3, 2025

S15: Prevention and Rehabilitation of Long-Term Sequelae From Sepsis – Tuesday, June 3, 2025

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On April 13, 2025, the Global Sepsis Alliance (GSA), in collaboration with Sepsis Stiftung and with support from Sanofi, hosted a high-level session at the ESCMID Global Symposium in Vienna.

Titled “Preventing Bacterial Infections: A Crucial Front in the Fight Against Sepsis and Antimicrobial Resistance,” the session brought together leading experts from the Global Sepsis Alliance (GSA) and the European Sepsis Alliance (ESA) to spotlight prevention as a cornerstone strategy in combating sepsis and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

The event was co-chaired by Dr. Mariam Jashi, CEO of the Global Sepsis Alliance, former Member of Parliament and Health Minister of Georgia, and Dr. Michele Bartoletti, Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases at Humanitas University and Head of the Infectious Diseases Unit at Humanitas Research Hospital, Italy.

In her opening remarks, Dr. Jashi emphasized the urgency and opportunity in the fight against sepsis: “We rarely have the opportunity in our professional lives – as clinicians, researchers, political leaders, or innovators – to save millions of lives. That opportunity is now, in the global fight against sepsis, a major killer of children, women, and men worldwide.”

She highlighted that 8 million of the 13.66 million annual sepsis-related deaths are linked to bacterial infections, including 4.95 million deaths directly attributable to or associated with AMR. Dr. Jashi introduced the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis, the first multi-year, holistic strategy calling for strong political commitment and investment in prevention through vaccines, infection prevention and control (IPC), diagnostics, targeted therapies, and post-sepsis care solutions.

The session opened with a moving video message from Uwe Wiermann, a sepsis survivor from Germany and Regional Director for the NRW Amputee Association. Uwe shared his personal journey, highlighting the lack of public awareness around sepsis, noting that like many others, he had never heard of the condition before his life-altering experience.

Scientific Presentations from GSA and ESA Experts

• Prof. Antonio Artigas, Chair of Sepsis and Acute Respiratory Failure Research at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, presented on “Sepsis Susceptibility and Comorbidities”, exploring the European epidemiology of sepsis and how factors such as sex, socio-economic status, nutrition, and pre-existing conditions influence outcomes, especially in older adults.

• Prof. Lisa Mellhammar, Associate Professor and Senior Consultant at Skåne University Hospital in Lund, Sweden, shared insights from a nationwide cohort study (1987–2022) on pediatric sepsis. Her findings revealed that children who survive sepsis face elevated mortality and long-term health challenges even five years post-infection. She also emphasized the pressing need for more comprehensive pediatric data at national and global levels.

• Prof. Evangelos J. Giamarellos-Bourboulis, Chair of the European Sepsis Alliance and Professor of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, concluded the session with a presentation titled “From Trained Immunity to Vaccination: Room for Prevention from Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria?” He presented pioneering research showing how BCG vaccination can enhance immune responses and provide protection against respiratory and hospital-acquired infections, including COVID-19.

Looking Ahead: Global Collaboration

In her closing remarks, Dr. Jashi invited participants to engage with the Global Sepsis Innovations Platform, a new initiative by the GSA aimed at accelerating collaboration around unmet needs in sepsis prevention, diagnostics, treatment, and post-sepsis care.

She extended her gratitude to Prof. Konrad Reinhart, President of Sepsis Stiftung, and Sanofi for their partnership in co-convening this impactful session at the ESCMID Global Symposium.