2026 World Sepsis Day Is Coming — Get Inspired by Tuscany's last Year's Campaign
With World Sepsis Day fast approaching on 13 September, we want to share an example of what a truly public-facing World Sepsis Day campaign can look like, and invite organisations across Europe to plan their own. Tuscany Region has been at the forefront of the fight against sepsis for years, publishing a reginal sepsis programme already in 2020, and awareness raising is also been at the centre of the region’s strategy against sepsis.
From clinical conferences to public squares
For years, Tuscany's Regional Sepsis Task Force — a multidisciplinary group of clinicians, diagnosticians, epidemiologists and risk-management experts set up a decade ago by the region's health authorities — marked World Sepsis Day with conferences aimed at healthcare professionals. In 2025, the initiative changed direction: rather than speaking mainly to clinicians, it turned outward, to the public that so often has never heard the word "sepsis" at all. The results showed just how much a shift in audience can achieve.
Landmarks that spark conversation
On the night before World Sepsis Day, Pisa's Leaning Tower was lit up in pink in the middle of Piazza dei Miracoli, catching the eye of tourists from around the world and turning an iconic monument into an unexpected conversation-starter about a medical emergency most had never considered.
The following day, activities moved to Calci, a small town near Pisa, set up in front of the Charterhouse that houses the University's Natural History Museum — proof that awareness campaigns don't need a capital city or a massive budget to make an impression.
The event event included a main information desk, a microscopy station, designed with children in mind but just as popular with adults, where visitors could look at real bacteria under a microscope and understand, and a hand hygiene station, turning one of the simplest and most powerful defences against infection into a practical, memorable demonstration.
Looking ahead
World Sepsis Day 2026 will return to Florence's Piazza Santissima Annunziata on 16 September, with information desks open to the public from 10:00 to 17:30, and on the night of 13 September the Torre di San Niccolò overlooking the Lungarno will be lit up in pink.
Now it's your turn, get involved
World Sepsis Day only creates change when organisations, hospitals, universities, patient groups and city administrations across Europe decide to take part. You do not need a landmark or a broadcast budget to make a difference, the Tuscany experience shows that a well-placed information desk, a simple hands-on demonstration, or even a single illuminated building can start conversations that save lives.
Whether it's organising a public information stand, lighting a local monument in pink, partnering with schools or universities, or simply sharing sepsis symptoms with your community, every action counts toward the same goal: making sure more people recognise sepsis in time to act.
Get in touch to share your plans, request materials, or find out how the European Sepsis Alliance can support your campaign.
