People are being urged to look out for the symptoms of sepsis.
Slurred speech, confusion, shortness of breath, joint pain, and a fever are among the signs being highlighted as part of World Sepsis Day.
The condition, which is a life-threatening reaction to an infection, was the cause of death in 12-thousand people who died in hospital last year.
Consultant and Professor of Intensive Care Medicine, Ignacio Martin-Loeches, says sepsis can lead to fatal organ failure:
