Pauline Tully (Sinn Fein)

Sepsis is the biggest killer in the world, with more people dying from it than from heart attacks, AIDS, lung cancer, breast cancer, Covid-19 and car crashes combined. One in five people who contract sepsis will die from it, of whom 20% are children. It affects people of all ages. Death from the disease is totally preventable if people know what the symptoms are and can request treatment.

Two women from Cavan, Caitriona Flanagan and Hannah Tormey, have established North East Sepsis Awareness. The campaign covers counties Cavan, Monaghan, Louth and Meath, with public meetings to create awareness of the symptoms of sepsis. Both women have been personally affected within their families by sepsis, which prompted them to reach out to inform people of the symptoms and get the message out that death is preventable. The symptoms can include slurred speech, new confusion, extreme shivering, muscle aches, fever, shortness of breath, lips tinged with blue and many others. We want people to think about whether their symptoms could be sepsis and to request a test for it. Medical personnel in emergency departments need to consider sepsis at all times. We sometimes hear of people going into emergency departments and by the time staff realise the person has sepsis, it is too late for treatment. In other instances, people do not recognise the symptoms and do not seek treatment. For those who survive sepsis, there is such a thing as post-sepsis syndrome, which is not yet recognised by the World Health Organization.

North East Sepsis Awareness is hoping to meet the Minister for Health in the new year. Will the Leader write to her to ensure the meeting is arranged and that she will expand on the good work it is doing? I ask that she also take into consideration post-sepsis syndrome. People suffer for a month and sometimes years from symptoms such as tiredness, weakness, loss of appetite, nightmares and even PTSD. If the condition were recognised, it could be treated more efficiently than it is currently. I ask for a follow-up with the Minister to ensure that happens.