September 2023: Sepsis Awareness Month

WHEREAS, September has been nationally recognized as Sepsis Awareness Month by the Sepsis Alliance to bring awareness to sepsis, the body’s life-threatening response to infection, which can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death; and,

WHEREAS, according to the CDC, sepsis affects 1.7 million Americans and takes 350,000 adult lives every year in the United States – more than from prostate cancer, breast cancer, and opioid overdoses combined; and,

WHEREAS, each year, more than 75,000 children in the United States develop severe sepsis and 6,800 of these children die, more than from pediatric cancers; and,

WHEREAS, communities that have historically lacked access to high-quality healthcare, including some communities of color and individuals experiencing poverty, experience a disproportionate burden of sepsis-related suffering; and,

WHEREAS, sepsis is the number one cost of hospitalization in the United States, at $62 billion annually; and,

WHEREAS, sepsis survivors have a shortened life expectancy, are more likely to suffer from an impaired quality of life, and often experience after-effects such as amputations (14,000 per year in the United States) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; and,

WHEREAS, sepsis is the second-leading cause of pregnancy-related mortality in the United States – and the United States has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the industrialized world; and,

WHEREAS, the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance is steadily increasing the frequency of sepsis cases, and making effective sepsis treatment more difficult; and,

WHEREAS, despite the severe danger and widespread occurrence of this illness, a survey conducted by Sepsis Alliance found that less than 15% of U.S. adults can identify the symptoms of sepsis; and,

WHEREAS, one can remember the signs and symptoms of sepsis using “Sepsis: It’s About TIME™,” which stands for “Temperature, Infection, Mental decline, and Extremely ill”; and,

WHEREAS, awareness of the signs and symptoms of sepsis along with rapid diagnosis and treatment of sepsis can save lives and improve outcomes for sepsis survivors, as the risk of mortality from sepsis increases by 4-9% for every hour treatment is delayed;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, do hereby proclaim September 2023 as Sepsis Awareness Month in Michigan.