SEPSIS AWARENESS MONTH
2024
BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
A PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, September has been nationally recognized as Sepsis Awareness Month to bring awareness to sepsis, the body’s life-threatening response to infection, which can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death; and
WHEREAS, sepsis happens when an infection you already have triggers a chain reaction throughout your body, with most cases starting before a patient goes to the hospital; and
WHEREAS, each year, at least 1.7 million adults in the United States develop sepsis, and at least 350,000 adults who develop sepsis die during their hospitalization, or are discharged to hospice; and
WHEREAS, despite the dangers of sepsis, only 15 percent of U.S. adults can identify the symptoms using the mnemonic, TIME: Temperature, Infection, Mental decline, and Extremely ill; and
WHEREAS, young children and the elderly experience the greatest number of sepsis-related deaths; sepsis kills more Americans than prostate cancer, breast cancer, and opioid overdoses combined, and it is the most expensive cause of hospitalization in the United States; and
WHEREAS, viral sepsis is the most common complication in severe COVID-19, emphasizing the importance of infection prevention and sepsis awareness to public health; and
WHEREAS, despite the severe danger and widespread occurrence of this illness, a survey conducted by Sepsis Alliance found that fewer than 12 percent of adults in the United States can identify the symptoms of sepsis; and
WHEREAS, awareness of the signs and symptoms of sepsis along with rapid diagnosis and treatment of sepsis can save lives and improve outcomes for sepsis survivors;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim September, 2024, as “SEPSIS AWARENESS MONTH” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.
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Roy Cooper
Governor
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this fourth day of September in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-four and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.