Sepsis – Working together for better prevention, early detection and treatment
Sepsis in Switzerland: 4,000 deaths per year
- What is sepsis? Sepsis is a life-threatening emergency that occurs when the body’s own immune response to an infection damages its own tissue and organs. Without early detection and treatment, it can progress rapidly, lead to organ failure and septic shock and be fatal. Sepsis is one of the most common causes of preventable mortality and morbidity.
- The Swiss Sepsis Report 2025 shows that hospitals register around 20,000 cases of sepsis annually, of which more than 500 are in children. Around 4,000 of those affected die every year. The report estimates the actual number of cases to be significantly higher.
- According to the report, the disease causes over 1 billion Swiss francs in direct hospital costs annually. If rehabilitation, follow-up care and the treatment of complications are factored in over the next three years, the direct costs are estimated to be around 2 billion Swiss francs annually.
- On World Sepsis Day 2025, private individuals and professionals signed the Swiss Sepsis Declaration, committing to improving the situation and advocating for early detection, rapid and consistent treatment, and appropriate follow-up care for sepsis.
