A 4-year-old girl in the UK was recently in the fight for her life after developing sepsis, possibly from trying on shoes with her bare feet.
Thankfully, in this case, doctors were able to drain the pus and clear up the infection after about a week in the hospital.
Sepsis is the body’s toxic response to an infection.
“Sepsis can be the result of any infection. It can be the result of someone developing pneumonia and their body has a toxic over response. It can be the result of a urinary tract infection, a bladder infection. It can also result from having a cut on your skin that gets infected," said Dr. Karin Molander at Mills Peninsula Medical Center and Sepsis Alliance Board Member.
In the case of the girl from the UK, doctors believe bacteria got into her body through a cut on her foot.
“The foot when it’s inside a shoe is a wonderful, moist growing environment for bacteria," said Dr. Molander.
Taking care of your wounds is key to preventing an infection and ultimately sepsis.
“If you get a cut, clean it, put antibiotic ointment on it and cover it to protect it," said Dr. Molander.
The numbers are terrifying. According to the Sepsis Alliance, sepsis is one of the leading cause of death for children in the U.S. with more than 18 children dying from it each day.
“It is extremely common, more common than heart attacks and strokes," said Dr. Molander.
That is why knowing the warning signs are so important. You can use the acronym “It’s about TIME.”
T stands for "temperature", I stands for "infection", M stands for "mental decline" and E stands for "extremely ill".
Time is the most important part of survival.
“Every hour that sepsis goes unrecognized, you have a 7.6 percent increase in your mortality," said Dr. Molander.
Overall, practice good hygiene and prevent infection. And when it comes to trying on shoes, doctors do recommend wearing socks to help prevent contact or the spread of bacteria.