Maternal sepsis claims the lives of thousands of women around the world, every day. This condition – which is both preventable and treatable – continues to be among the most common causes of death for pregnant or recently pregnant women. A better understanding of where, why, and how many women are affected by maternal sepsis is needed in order to address this global issue.
Global Maternal Sepsis Study and Campaign (GLOSS)
WHO and partners in 52 countries around the world implemented the Global Maternal Sepsis Study and Campaign, known as ‘GLOSS’, aiming to assess the burden and management of maternal sepsis and to raise awareness among health-care workers on this issue.
In Mexico, Dr Nazarea Herrera Maldonado, the Deputy Director General of Maternal and Perinatal Health for Mexico, has seen the positive potential impact of doing such research and campaign in her country.
When looking at the findings from assessments done throughout the previous year at hospitals in every state in Mexico, she and her collaborators discovered that infections were among the top causes of death among women during or after pregnancy. Women had acquired these infections in both hospitals and communities. Dr Herrera Maldonado and her collaborators decided they must do more to understand how maternal sepsis was identified and managed.
"If we suspect sepsis we can have an impact on the reduction of maternal deaths from a preventable cause.” Dr Herrera Maldonado.
Originally it was planned that the study and campaign would take place in 7 health facilities in Mexico City, but Dr Herrera Maldonado took the decision to roll out the campaign in health facilities across the whole country. With a better understanding of maternal sepsis, and with improved awareness of how to prevent, recognise and treat the condition, Dr Herrera Maldonado felt the GLOSS campaign would help Mexico to prevent maternal deaths nationwide.
As a result of implementing the campaign, Dr Herrera Maldonado now feels that awareness of sepsis in Mexico has improved – both in terms of where sepsis is happening, and also in terms of how to prevent it. She says, “with the expansion of the campaign at the national level, we’ve got a clearer understanding that maternal sepsis does exist, and is being diagnosed.” Mexico is therefore better able to ensure that infrastructure and supplies are available and properly used in health facilities – such as handwashing stations and soap dispensers.
At the Maternal and Child Hospital of Inguarán, a district hospital in Mexico City, Dr Miriam Trinidad Macías Heredia is in agreement with Dr Herrera Maldonado that the awareness raising aspect of GLOSS is having an impact on the way care is delivered in her hospital.
Thanks to the campaign, the hospital now has the criteria to identify sepsis, which can enhance prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the condition, Dr Macías Heredia comments, “The GLOSS campaign provided us with the tools to identify possible cases of infection, as well as better early diagnosis and timely management criteria, in addition to an improvement in prevention practices, so that we could avoid repeating failures from the past in the process of care.”
Global Maternal Sepsis Study and Campaign 
A website dedicated to empowering healthcare providers to suspect, treat and prevent sepsis in women and newborns
In addition, Dr Herrera Maldonado highlights how awareness and prevention of sepsis can be improved through the training and advocacy of health workers. This would include “training our staff in medical schools, insisting on creating and improving prevention and control committees” she comments. Dr Maldonado also notes that since the introduction of the campaign, the National Centre for Gender Equity and Reproductive Health has prioritized investigating suspected maternal and neonatal sepsis.