[Sepsis: case numbers increasing worldwide but new strategies too]

With the numbers of cases rising worldwide and consistently high mortality, sepsis is one of the world's most significant health issues. The Jena Symposium was dedicated to the challenges in research and development, new approaches to treatment, internationally successful strategies, and a potentially successful new initiative for improving the quality of prophylaxis, early diagnosis, and therapy. The importance of intensifying efforts in the fight against sepsis is becoming increasingly recognized by health care policy. Knowledge of lay people/the public about sepsis is lacking and the standards of quality are in need of improvement.