Stop Sepsis

Every pregnant or recently pregnant woman and newborn is at risk of an infection that could trigger sepsis. Sepsis is life-threatening, but when caught early and treated promptly, it can be stopped.

We are mobilizing policy makers, health workers and communities to stop avoidable deaths due to maternal sepsis. You can help stop maternal sepsis by being alert and working together to suspect, treat, and prevent this unseen killer.

Despite being a common cause of maternal death, sepsis remains a hidden and often misunderstood condition in the realm of women’s  and baby’s health.  Yet reducing maternal and newborn deaths is a priority for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, implementing the UN Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, and executing the Strategies Toward Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality (EPMM).

We need to better understand why and how sepsis affects women and newborns in order to equip health workers with the knowledge and tools they need to stop maternal sepsis and save more lives.

In early 2017, WHO and Jhpiego (an affiliate of The Johns Hopkins University) launched the Global Maternal and Neonatal Sepsis Initiative with the goal to accelerate the reduction of preventable maternal and neonatal deaths related to maternal sepsis. The Initiative aims to foster alignment, collaboration, research, innovation and advocacy to eradicate maternal sepsis.