SEPSIS is now a bigger killer than cancer, with more than double the number of deaths worldwide than previously estimated, a global study suggests.

One person every three seconds dies from the condition worldwide, according to new research, which suggests sepsis accounts for almost a fifth of global deaths.

Oliver Flitcroft, from Barrow, survived his near death experience when he had sepsis and is keen to warn members of the public ‘not to make the same mistake he did’ after putting his symptoms down to flu.

He said: “I became disorientated, shivery, and dizzy on a warm day, but put it down to being the flu.

“When I spoke to the doctor I was diagnosed with sepsis and was rushed to hospital.

“It was a very frightening experience, and it happened so quickly. I had to go into intensive care, I was there for seven days.

“I was very lucky to survive and not to lose any limbs, which can happen.

“Staff at Furness General Hospital were fantastic though, top notch quality of care.”

The study, led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and University of Washington, looked at hospital records and data obtained from the Global Burden of Diseases.

They estimate there there were 48.9 million cases in 2017, and 11 million deaths, across 195 countries and territories. This equates to just under a fifth (19.7%) of all global deaths that year.

Experts warn the number of deaths could rise if new ways to tackle antibiotic resistance are not found quickly.

The authors write: “We have shown a global trend of decreasing sepsis burden but, importantly, substantial differences between regions remain, in total number of sepsis deaths, age distribution of sepsis deaths, and case fatality.

“These differences by location are alarming and deserve urgent attention from the global health, research, and policy communities.”

Sepsis, which is hard to spot, occurs when the body responds poorly to a bacterial infection and attacks its own tissue and organs.