Pandemic Sepsis and Inequality
Episode description
We apologise for the low quality audio, Dr Flavia Machado kindly delivered her talk in the middle of a hospital shift in São Paulo during the global pandemic.
LMIC's bear 85% of the global burden of septicaemia. There are three main determinants of mortality:
1. Pathogenic factors
2. Host Factors
3. Healthcare Inequality Factors (Prevention / Water & Sanitation / Access to Care,Resources, Education)
Interestingly, the effects of the current Covid-19 Pandemic appear to be more related to the pathogen than the other two factors and so the burden of disease has been more evenly distributed globally. That said, the pandemic has further exposed some weaknesses in healthcare systems in countries like Brazil. Namely, the high rates of secondary hospital acquired infections and antimicrobial resistance, high mortality rates, unreliable supply chains, cultural challenges with end of life care and broader social challenges like corruption.
At the same time, some good things have come from the pandemic in Brazil. There has been an increase in Philanthropy towards healthcare, more recognition of the work healthcare workers do, and an increased appreciation of the need to support public healthcare institutions.