High Mortality Risk for Newborns with Sepsis: Indian Study Highlights Urgent Need for Action

New Delhi, Feb 27: A groundbreaking study conducted across five district hospitals in India has revealed alarming findings about newborn sepsis, a life-threatening condition triggered by infections. According to the study, more than one-third of newborns diagnosed with sepsis succumb to the illness, highlighting the urgent need for enhanced infection control and antibiotic stewardship.

Published in The Lancet Global Health journal, the research analyzed data from over 6,600 newborns admitted between October 2019 and December 2021. The study found that sepsis incidence varied significantly across hospitals, ranging from 0.6% to 10%. Notably, the risk was 2.5 times higher among newborns referred from other hospitals than those born at the facility itself.

Sepsis and the Growing Threat of Antibiotic Resistance​

Sepsis occurs when the body’s immune system overreacts to an infection, causing severe tissue and organ damage, which can lead to multi-organ failure and death. Managing the condition is becoming increasingly difficult due to antibiotic resistance—a growing global health crisis.

A Lancet analysis from 2024 warns that over 39 million deaths could occur in the next 25 years due to antibiotic-resistant infections, with South Asia, including India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, bearing the highest burden.

Key Findings of the Study​

• Overall Incidence of Sepsis: 3.2% of newborns had culture-confirmed sepsis.
• Higher Risk for Outborn Newborns: Newborns referred from other hospitals had a significantly higher incidence than those born in the same facility.
• High Fatality Rate: The case-fatality rate for culture-positive sepsis was 36.6%, varying between 0% and 51.1% across hospitals.

Urgent Need for Intervention​

The study, involving researchers from AIIMS New Delhi and Raipur, emphasizes the scarcity of data on newborn sepsis from district hospitals in low- and middle-income countries. The findings call for urgent action to improve infection prevention, implement stricter hygiene protocols, and promote judicious antibiotic use in neonatal care.

As India grapples with the challenge of rising antibiotic resistance, strengthening neonatal care policies and infection control measures is critical to reducing the devastating impact of sepsis in newborns.