Recognizing Pediatric Sepsis Week April 20-26

Sepsis is the leading cause of death of young children and babies worldwide. In the U.S, 75,000 children develop sepsis each year — that’s 200 children per day. Sepsis is a severe, life-threatening response to infection that requires rapid diagnosis treatment to reduce the risk of death. 

Pediatric Sepsis Week raises awareness of the signs and symptoms of sepsis in children, which are different than in an adult and include a combination of the following: 

• Skin abnormally cold to touch
• Bluish or very pale skin
• Fever
• Rash that does not fade when pressed on
• Very fast or rapid breathing
• Seizures
• Lethargy or difficulty waking up
• Drop in or no urine output 

Additionally, for infants, symptoms may include: 

• Not drinking or feeding
• Repeated vomiting
• Dry diaper 

• Sepsis Alliance | Pediatric Sepsis Week
• Sepsis Alliance | Advancements in Pediatric Sepsis Diagnosis: Introducing the Phoenix Sepsis Score
• Munson Healthcare | Sepsis