Ireland has an opportunity to lead the way in tackling sepsis, rather than continuing to react to its devastating impact, RCSI’s Professor Steven Kerrigan told the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen today.

Addressing the Committee on the growing threat posed by the condition, Professor Kerrigan, Professor at the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, warned: “Sepsis does not wait for reform cycles. It does not wait for capacity reviews. And it does not wait for the ‘right time’. Every delay costs lives, quietly, and often invisibly. Ireland has an opportunity not just to respond, but to lead.”

Professor Kerrigan noted that Ireland’s forthcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union in July 2026 presents a unique opportunity to elevate sepsis on the European health agenda. He suggested that Ireland could use its Presidency to convene a European discussion on sepsis prevention, early recognition and antimicrobial resistance, positioning the country as a leader in patient safety and public health.

Sinead O’Reilly, who addressed the Committee alongside Professor Kerrigan, shared her family’s experience of losing her sister-in-law Sarah to sepsis in 2022 following failures in recognition and escalation of care. She called for national improvements in early detection, education and accountability to prevent similar tragedies.

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition in which the body’s response to an infection damages its own tissues and organs. Triggered most often by bacterial or viral infections, it occurs when pathogens enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body, provoking an extreme immune reaction that can lead to organ failure and death without prompt treatment.

With nearly 50 million cases and 11 million deaths globally each year, sepsis represents a significant health crisis in Ireland and around the world. Despite its prevalence and severity, the condition remains difficult to diagnose due to a lack of a definitive biomarker that can reliably confirm a diagnosis in its early stages. Clinicians must rely on other signs and symptoms, along with the laboratory tests, to diagnose sepsis.

When a patient has sepsis, early diagnosis is key for survival. Cases in Ireland, across Europe and globally are rising, and the ability to treat infection is being hampered by antibiotic resistance.

In his presentation to the Committee, Professor Kerrigan noted that the healthcare system is not currently structured to detect sepsis early, deliver a consistent response, or provide adequate support for patients and families in the aftermath. He also highlighted that clinicians are increasingly encountering sepsis in older, sicker patients, often linked to infections that are less responsive to first-line treatments. This is contributing to longer hospital stays, higher costs, greater complications and higher numbers of deaths.

“Sepsis is not just an acute medical emergency; it is a life-altering event.”, Professor Kerrigan stated. “Survivors often live with cognitive impairment, physical disability, PTSD, anxiety and depression. Families are changed forever. Careers end. Lives shrink.”

Professor Kerrigan said that Ireland has the opportunity to lead by delivering a fully resourced national sepsis strategy focused on prevention, early detection, public awareness, professional training and post-sepsis care.