Sepsis is a 'public health emergency,' warn Canadian researchers after mother dies shortly after giving birth

CBC

Mon, September 8, 2025 at 4:00 a.m. EDT

Fatima Sheikh's research focuses on social determinants of health, which she says should be considered when developing policies related to sepsis. (Submitted by Fatima Sheikh - image credit)

A team of researchers is highlighting what it calls significant gaps in sepsis policies and training standards throughout Canada, which they say show the need for a co-ordinated national action plan to address sepsis.

Sepsis is the body's extreme response to an infection and is a leading cause of death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In Ontario, sepsis deaths have recently made headlines, prompting discussions about hospital protocols.

In 2017, a resolution by the World Health Assembly (WHA) — the decision-making body of the WHO — called on member states to create standards and guidelines for the prevention, early diagnosis and management of sepsis.

Years later, some countries like the United Kingdom and Australia have developed national action plans. But researchers including Dr. Kali Barrett say Canada still has a ways to go to meet that call to action. Barrett is a Toronto-based critical care physician and an affiliate scientist with the Health Services and Policy Research Collaborative Centre at the University Health Network.

"We're trying to get governments' support and recognition that this is a public health emergency," said Barrett.

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