ASA Calls for Action by National and Regional Authorities on Delivering Sepsis Plans

The African continent has so far registered a relatively controlled burden of COVID-19. One reason could lie in the low average age in the continent, as it is well known that COVID-19 related risk and comorbidities raise with the age. The limited test capacity could also play a role.

Despite the uncertainty about the burden of the pandemic in Africa, studies have shown that sepsis is definitely contributing to it. Either caused directly by the SARS-CoV-2 or by secondary bacterial infections, sepsis is a recurrent manifestation of COVID-19 in about 5% of cases.

Those patients require critical care, but in Africa, the health system response is hampered by its limited capacity (there are fewer than 2,000 functioning ventilators).

The African Sepsis Alliance calls for national Ministries of Health, with the support of stakeholders such as the Global Sepsis Alliance, CDC Africa, the African Union, and WHO national action to deliver plans for sepsis that systematically address a country’s specific needs for delivering care for severely ill patients.