Sepsis

Subject: Sepsis

The 2023 European Sepsis Report points out that sepsis is one of the most serious complications of infection and a leading cause of preventable deaths and disability in Europe. Every minute more than one person dies of sepsis in Europe and three-quarters of the 2.8 million survivors affected suffer long-term consequences. The World Health Organisation takes a similar stance. In 2017 it identified sepsis as a global health priority, adopting a resolution on improving, preventing, diagnosing and treating sepsis.

1. Given that the relative amount of healthcare budget spent on sepsis is 2.65% (range 8.85% - 0.29%), which equates to 0.33% of GNP, does the Commission plan to provide an EU cost estimate for sepsis and its related diseases and, as a result of the cost, proposals for benefits from the proposed new initiatives to improve the situation as regards reducing the incidence of this infection under existing multidisciplinary initiatives of the European Health Union?

2. Is the Commission considering putting forward specific recommendations or a roadmap for action to support Member States in their efforts to draw up national action plans and strategies to tackle sepsis?

Submitted: 11.10.2023

Answer given by Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission (13 December 2023)

The Commission will continue to support Member States and assist them in the coordination of their prevention, preparedness and response measures to infectious diseases, including sepsis, as well as other serious cross-border health threats.

It will do so in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 on serious cross-border threats to health (1), which is a key piece of legislation under the European Health Union.

The EU4Health Annual Work Programme for 2023 (2) includes a specific action aimed at strengthening national surveillance systems within Member States with an expected contribution of EUR 97.3 million.

In addition, in June 2023, the Council adopted a new Recommendation (3), on a proposal from the Commission, to strengthen action against antimicrobial resistance (AMR), complemented by AMR-relevant provisions in the proposals for a revised EU pharmaceutical legislation.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) (4) produces a wide range of guidance, training and other materials to support infection prevention and control in the community and in healthcare settings, including for organisms responsible for sepsis.

In May 2023, ECDC published a report on ‘Healthcare-associated infections acquired in intensive care units’ (5).

Under the EU framework programmes for research and innovation, the Commission has invested in several pan-European and multidisciplinary actions to address the problem of sepsis (6)..

This as part of significant support for research and innovation against antimicrobial resistance, with funding of about EUR 800 million under the Horizon 2020 (7) and Horizon Europe (8) programmes.

1 ∙ ⸱ Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 November 2022 on serious cross-border threats to health and repealing

Decision No 1082/2013/EU (Text with EEA relevance). 2 ∙ ⸱

https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/2023-eu4health-work-programme_en? gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzdGPrLywggMVH5aDBx313wgkEAAYASAAEgIo8PD_BwE 3 ∙ ⸱ Council Recommendation on stepping up EU actions to combat antimicrobial resistance in a One Health approach ( https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal- content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32023H0622%2801%29 ). 4 ∙ ⸱

https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en 5 ∙ ⸱

https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/healthcare-associated-infections-intensive-care-units-2019 6 ∙ ⸱ https://cordis.europa.eu/search?q=frameworkProgramme%3D%27HORIZON%27%2C%27H2020%27%2C%27FP7%27%20AND%20(%27sepsis %27)&p=1&num=10&srt=Relevance:decreasing 7 ∙ ⸱

https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-2020_en 8 ∙ ⸱ https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe_en