But what is sepsis, I hear you ask?
Sepsis kills 37,000 people in the UK every year. That's more than bowel cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer put together.
This means someone dies from sepsis every 14 minutes. Seven people during a normal football match. It's the equivalent to the capacity of a Premier League stadium each year.
And the odds are that you haven't even heard of it. I hadn't until the tragic story of how NHS failings led to little William Mead's death from sepsis broke on national television.
Sepsis can lead to shock, multiple organ failure and death if not recognised early and treated promptly. Patients with the most severe forms of sepsis are up to five times more likely to die than patients who've suffered a heart attack or stroke.
The good news is, life-saving treatment for sepsis is often relatively straight-forward. Early recognition, and getting basic treatments including antibiotics and fluids into the patient within the first hour, can halt the progression of sepsis, and hugely improve the chances of survival.
International recommendations suggest that treatment should be started within one hour of sepsis being SUSPECTED.
In the early stages it's often difficult to distinguish sepsis from 'flu. But if the patient has any of the above symptoms, and their skin is cold, pale or developed strange colours or markings (mottled), if they've lost consciousness, or not passed water for more than 18 hours, they should be taken to hospital immediately.
Don't be afraid to say "I think this might be sepsis." Getting the patient treated even one hour earlier may be the difference between their life or death.
Suspect sepsis -- say sepsis!
In the UK, the UK Sepsis Trust is working to raise awareness of sepsis, ensuring that the public, patients and their relatives, and health professionals, all work together to "think sepsis."
Sepsis Trust website
Sepsis Trust on Twitter: