Browne urges more Sepsis awareness

Sinn Féin TD Martin Browne has urged people to become more sepsis aware. Teachta Browne made the appeal during a presentation on the illness at Leinster House on Thursday last.

Teachta Browne said: “Last year, the Joint Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsman, of which I am Chair, received a petition from Joe Hughes and his partner Karen Phoenix, in which they called for an increased public awareness campaign relating to sepsis, which took the life of their 15 year-old son and up-and-coming musician Seán.

“Young Sean died from a short illness in 2018. His family subsequently found out that he had sepsis, something they didn’t know about. Because of this, they started an awareness campaign called Lil Red’s Sepsis Awareness Campaign (named in honour of young Seán’s stage name).

“During the Committee’s examination of sepsis awareness, the HSE were invited to brief us on sepsis. The information and statistics they presented to us were stark.

“Sepsis arises when the body’s response to an infection can act abnormally and injure its own tissues and organs. It may lead to shock, multi-organ failure, and death – especially if not recognized early and treated promptly.

“The HSE revealed to us that more than 12,000 people were treated for sepsis in hospital in 2021 with approximately 1 in 5 people dying as a result of developing Sepsis, which kills more people each year than heart attacks, stroke or almost any cancer.

“Globally, the annual death toll from sepsis exceeds 11 million people.

“Sepsis can affect anyone, but it is more common in the very young, the elderly and people with pre-existing medical conditions or those with a weakened immune system.

“As a committee we were so taken aback by the serious nature of sepsis, it’s prevalence, and our own lack of awareness, that we arranged a presentation at Leinster House on sepsis, in order to play our part in increasing public awareness.

“We were honoured to have Joe and Karen (Sean’s parents) address Thursday’s presentation, during which they outlined their personal tragedy, how sepsis can be hidden by the infection it responds to, and how all of us – healthcare professionals and general members of the public – need to be acutely aware of sepsis.

“We also heard from sepsis survivors, some of whom continue to suffer from its consequences.

“Many of us need to be more aware of sepsis and its signs and symptoms, because unfortunately, sepsis is frequently under-diagnosed at an early stage when measures to address it are most effective.

“I urge people to inform themselves about sepsis. A wealth of information, as well as Sean’s story (Lil Red) is available on www.sepsisfoundation.ie, while further resources and information are available at www2.hse.ie/conditions/sepsis/.”