African Sepsis Alliance Strengthens Collaboration with Africa CDC: Joint Efforts to Combat Sepsis in Focus

In a landmark meeting held on December 15, 2023, at the Africa CDC headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, representatives from the African Sepsis Alliance, the Sub-Saharan African ConsorTium for the Advancement of Innovative Research and Care in Sepsis (STAIRS), and the Africa CDC convened to address the pressing issue of sepsis on the continent.

The meeting, attended by ASA Chair, Dr. Emmanuel Nsutebu, and Dr. Shevin Jacob representing both ASA and STAIRS, emphasized the need for urgent action against sepsis in Africa.

Participants recognized that Africa bears the highest burden of sepsis globally. Despite a World Health Assembly (WHA) resolution in 2017, minimal action has been taken to improve the prevention, recognition, and management of sepsis on a large scale, in stark contrast to efforts in Europe and North America.

Highlighting the crucial role of accurate data, the meeting underscored that current registries, such as DHIS2, do not systematically capture sepsis cases. Initiatives like the African Research Collaboration on Sepsis (ARCS) and STAIRS are working to address this knowledge gap.

The need for the active involvement of Ministers of Health, supported by Africa CDC, was emphasized. Suggestions included incorporating sepsis discussions into existing meetings or convening an extraordinary session during the International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA).

The participants stressed the need to engage WHO AFRO, leveraging the 2017 WHA resolution on sepsis, and recognizing the pivotal role the organization plays.

Priority Action Points

Agreed action points included declaring sepsis a regional priority, developing national action plans, generating data and research evidence from Africa, including sepsis as an indicator for the quality of care, and seconding someone from ASA to work alongside Africa CDC.

Agreed Action Plan

Acknowledging the urgency of the situation, the stakeholders formulated a concrete action plan:

  • Update the new Africa CDC Director-General about discussions and collaboration agreements by January 2024.

  • Identify Africa CDC focal points/champions and share contacts by January 2024.

  • Finalize and co-publish a draft policy brief on sepsis by January 2024.

  • Organize a joint meeting with WHO AFRO by January 2024.

  • Develop a corporate agreement between GSA/ASA and Africa CDC by March 2024.

  • Work with regional directors of public health institutes to organize a high-level sepsis meeting at the international CPHIA in Rabat in 2024 by June 2024.

  • Work on the secondment from ASA to Africa CDC after the corporate agreement and explore potential funding sources by June 2024.

With these action points in place, the participants collectively declared, "Enough of action plans, it's time for action," emphasizing the imperative for swift and meaningful progress in the fight against sepsis in Africa.

Simone Mancini