In collaboration with the governor's Office, Opelousas General Health Systems declared September Sepsis Awareness Month. On September 1st, Governor Jeff Landry proclaimed the month to raise awareness for the deadly infection.
According to the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, sepsis is the leading cause of death in hospitals. More than 1.7 million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with sepsis each year; out of that number, 350,000 people die from the infection.
Early Friday morning, health officials from the Opelousas General Health Systems held a walk with city leaders to raise awareness about the infection. Doctors and nurses also gave a presentation informing guests about the infection, how to contract it, and how to prevent it.
"Sepsis is a life-threatening condition where our body goes into overdrive in response to infection, which could be because of a virus, bacteria or fungus, so there are hospital-acquired infections unfortunately seen and patients who are or have a prolonged hospital stay," said Dr. Amer Raza, a Physician at Opelousas General Health Systems.
Registered nurse Tanesha Hanson also advises how people should take preventive measures from contracting the infection.
"Our first line of prevention would be hand washing and also being able to recognize the early signs of sepsis, so we are talking about elevated temperature, elevated heart rate, increased respirations, and difficult breathing," said Hanson.
Doctors at Opelousas General Health Systems stressed the importance of prevention and seeking medical treatment as soon as possible if you are experiencing these symptoms.
"You can come in with an infection, and sometimes our immune systems are so weak that we're not able to fight it off, and it could continue to get worse, but while you're in the hospital, they're treating with fluids and antibiotics; they're doing all lines of defense to make sure that the infection that you have do not get worse," said Hanson.
Health officials recommend practicing good hygiene, seeking medical treatment as soon as possible, and keeping up with current vaccinations.
To learn more about sepsis infections, you can click here
