Study: Sepsis Kills and Is Common in Africa

Estimates of the number of sepsis cases in low-income countries are hard to find - it is challenging to identify and confirm the causes of hospital admissions. However, we know that many patients in Africa die of infection. Researchers used routinely collected hospital data from a large teaching hospital in Malawi’s second city (Blantyre) to assess how common sepsis is.

Despite limited diagnostics and information systems, they were able to estimate the rate of cases in the population (which were higher than most estimates from high-income countries), as well as the death rates from sepsis amongst those admitted to hospitals (around one quarter of patients died).

Even with ongoing uncertainty about exact numbers, this work confirms sepsis as a major killer in Africa, and one which demands focused and persistent efforts to improve recognition and treatment. We look forward to seeing the results of other ongoing studies such as the short incidence study of the African Research Collaboration on Sepsis, which will provide more information about the incidence and mortality rates of sepsis in Africa.