The White House hosted its first-ever event dedicated to informing the American public about the dangers of sepsis through the End Sepsis programme on Friday.
The movement was founded by an Irish couple, Orlaith and Ciaran Staunton, following the death of their son, Rory, in 2012, just days after he contracted the illness.
Ms Staunton addressed the US government’s Office of Science and Technology to stress the dangers of the sepsis crisis, which kills up to 350,000 Americans annually and has left hundreds of thousands of survivors with life-changing disabilities.
The event aims to bring public and private sector interests together around early sepsis recognition and treatment, for which the Stauntons and other members have long advocated. Early detection dramatically reduces the numbers of deaths and life-changing outcomes. It follows the publication of an official report to congress assessing the national threat of sepsis within the United States and its burden on hospital care.
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“This event is a major victory for the sepsis families who have campaigned to have the White House become more proactive on this issue,” said Mr Staunton.
[ How to spot symptoms of sepsisOpens in new window ]
“We have intensely lobbied the current and past two administrations to do this – we are gratified that our hard work has finally borne fruit.”
The White House event examined how to spread information on early diagnosis and treatment, with a particular focus on at-risk populations including rural American populations, the elderly and pregnant women.
It is also to review emergent state-based sepsis programmes, including “Rory’s regulations”, in the Stauntons’ home state of New York, which introduced the first mandatory protocol treatment programme in 2013 and has saved an estimated 16,000 lives through early detection and successful treatment.
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