Sepsis remains one of the UK's least recognised medical emergencies, despite being a leading cause of preventable death worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The condition arises when the immune system's response to an infection spirals out of control, attacking the body's own tissues and organs. While historically linked with 'blood poisoning' (septicaemia), sepsis can be triggered by any infection — from a minor cut or chest infection to tonsillitis. Without prompt diagnosis, it can rapidly progress to septic shock, multiple organ failure, and death.
A student's near-fatal mistake
During Sepsis Awareness Month this September, charity Sepsis Research FEAT is highlighting these dangers through the story of 21-year-old Cardiff University graduate Elle Black. After watching a Six Nations rugby match during her first year, Elle woke up feeling dreadful and assumed she had a routine hangover. As extreme drowsiness, fever swings, and intense muscle pain set in, she trusted her instincts and headed straight to A&E. Doctors triaged Elle within 15 minutes and confirmed her sepsis had developed from quinsy, a severe complication of tonsillitis. They warned her that waiting even half a day longer could have been fatal.
Elle recalled: "I was overwhelmingly drowsy, couldn’t keep food down, and swinging between hot and cold. That’s when I knew this wasn’t a hangover... The doctors told me that if I’d waited another 12 hours, my prognosis could have been very different."
Why students are at risk
As students head to university, shared living spaces, stress, and disrupted routines leave them vulnerable to rapid infections. Yet adults of all ages frequently delay seeking emergency care. Official NHS guidance urges everyone to learn the warning signs and explicitly ask attending medical teams: 'Could it be sepsis?'
Emergency Sepsis Action Summary
Adults and older children (five years and older)
- Confusion or slurred speech
- Uncontrollable shivering or severe muscle pain
- Difficulty breathing or rapid breathing
- Blue, pale, grey, or blotchy skin, lips, or tongue (on black or brown skin, this may be easier to see on the palms or soles of the feet)
- High or low temperature (an abnormally low temperature is common in older adults)
- Not peeing all day or peeing very little in the past 18 hours
Urgent action required: Call 999 or go to A&E immediately.
Babies and young children (under five years)
- Difficulty breathing or breathing very fast
- Having a fit (seizure)
- High or low body temperature (feeling unusually hot or cold to the touch)
- Blue, grey, pale, or blotchy skin, lips, or tongue
- A rash that does not fade when pressed (a rare symptom of sepsis, but a key sign of meningitis)
- Unusually sleepy or difficult to wake
- Not peeing for 12 hours (check for a dry nappy)
- Refusing feeds or vomiting repeatedly
Urgent action required: Call 999 or go to A&E immediately.
Protect yourself
When evaluating severe symptoms, never wait for every symptom to appear or assume you need to sleep off a severe illness. Sepsis is a medical emergency where hours matter. If symptoms feel far worse than a standard illness, trust your instincts. When speaking to NHS 111, emergency dispatchers, or hospital triage staff, describe your symptoms clearly and remember to ask directly: 'Could this infection be sepsis?'
