Surveillance of Sepsis in Children—Making Every Case Count

Sepsis is a leading cause of hospital admissions, mortality, and health care expenditure worldwide. It disproportionally affects very young and very old individuals.

Sepsis in young individuals carries a magnified societal impact through potential years of life lost and reductions in quality-adjusted life-years. Sepsis increases the risk of functional impairment that may persist for decades, translating into sustained health care needs and reduced lifetime economic productivity.

While many countries maintain public surveillance systems for common infectious diseases such as influenza, the absence of systematic sepsis surveillance obscures the full societal burden of disease, limits benchmarking of care, and hinders effective public health measures.