World Sepsis Day 2025: Starting a family is one of the happiest moments of life. Families celebrate new beginnings, hope, and joy. But for many parents around the world, this joy can be short-lived. A silent killer called neonatal sepsis continues to take the lives of hundreds of thousands of newborns every year, often within just days or weeks of birth.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), sepsis is responsible for about 11 per cent of all newborn deaths worldwide, claiming more than 400,000 lives annually. The numbers are especially high in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), where the mortality rate can shoot up to 40–60 per cent. However, high-income nations record just 2–4 per cent.
Why are newborns so vulnerable?
Unlike older children or adults, newborns are born with weak immune systems. Their natural defenses are weak and slow to respond. This makes them extremely vulnerable to infections that might otherwise be mild in older children.
“Newborns have very weak immune systems, which means their bodies can’t fight infections the way older children or adults can,” explains Dr Rahul Verma, Director of Paediatrics, Neonatology and General Paediatrics, Sir HN Reliance Hospital, Mumbai.
He adds, “Even a small infection that may seem harmless in adults can spread very quickly in newborns. Within a matter of hours, it can turn into a life-threatening situation.” This fragility is why neonatal sepsis remains so deadly.
The challenge of spotting sepsis early
One of the biggest challenges is that neonatal sepsis often starts with subtle and non-specific symptoms. A baby may seem unusually sleepy, fussy, or refuse to feed. Sometimes there’s just a mild temperature change. These can easily be overlooked by parents, and even by healthcare workers, as common newborn behaviour.
“Timing is critical,” says Dr Verma. “But because the first signs are so vague, parents and even healthcare workers may not realise the danger until the infection has already spread. By then, it may lead to septic shock or organ failure.”
By the time visible signs like breathing difficulties, jaundice, or seizures appear, the infection is already severe. At that point, doctors have very little time for effective treatment, and saving the baby becomes much harder.
Antibiotic resistance: A growing threat
The fight against neonatal sepsis has become even harder due to the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Bacteria such as E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, which commonly cause sepsis in newborns, are increasingly resistant to standard antibiotics.
“The sad reality is that many of the antibiotics we’ve relied on for years are no longer effective,” says Dr Verma. “If the first set of medicines doesn’t work, doctors are forced to try stronger drugs, and that delay can be deadly for a newborn.”
A 2020 global study found that babies with drug-resistant infections had a 75 per cent higher risk of dying compared to those with infections that responded to antibiotics. This makes the fight against sepsis even more urgent.
Inequality in survival rates
The shocking survival gap between rich and poor countries is not just about biology, it’s also about healthcare inequality. In many low-resource settings, hospitals struggle with shortages of trained staff, limited availability of essential antibiotics, poor sanitation, and lack of life-saving equipment like ventilators.
“Sepsis is as much about inequality as it is about medicine,” explains Dr Verma. “A baby born in a modern hospital in a big city has a much better chance of surviving compared to a baby born in a rural setting without proper facilities. That’s the sad truth.”
Experts agree that reducing deaths from neonatal sepsis requires a multi-pronged approach. This includes improving hygiene during childbirth, ensuring timely access to antibiotics, developing rapid and affordable diagnostic tools, and strengthening healthcare systems for mothers and newborns.
“As doctors, we work hard to save every newborn that comes through our doors,” says Dr Verma. “But real change will only come when we ensure that every mother and baby, no matter where they live, gets access to timely care. Every child deserves that chance.”