TO mark World Sepsis Day today, September 13, we look back at former Carmarthenshire and south Pembrokeshire MS Angela Burns' struggles with the disease.

Ms Burns' described how the disease is 'sneaky', and it doesn't give a 's***' about who it targets.

“I ended up in hospital for nine weeks in total," said Ms Burns, speaking to the Western Telegraph back in 2018. "Afterwards was on very heavy-duty antibiotics for six months.

“The problem is I have got an artificial knee; what keeps the bugs alive is it goes to hide where blood can’t get to it.

“I had all the signs of sepsis, the ambulance came out to my house in Cosheston and said: ‘You might not need to go in to hospital,’ I would have said ‘I don’t want to be a burden,’ I probably would have died.

“If my husband hadn’t sent me to hospital I wouldn’t have made it.”

This is the tenth World Sepsis Day and awareness is being raised and people urged to know the signs of the ‘hidden killer’ so they can get vital early treatment against a disease which can have catastrophic impacts on patients and their loved ones.

Figures from the UK Sepsis Trust estimate there at least 245,000 cases of sepsis in the UK each year.

The disease occurs when an infection develops in the immune system and it starts attacking the body's own organs and tissues.

If sepsis is left untreated it can lead to septic shock, causing organs to fail, which can be fatal.

Ms Burns went on about her experience, explaining how lucky she was that a nurse detected something was seriously wrong.

“When I went in to hospital the A&E consultant said pneumonia, the nurse said, ‘that’s not right, there’s a massive infection.’

“He saved my life.

“He put me on these antibiotics; that was the start of my 8-9 weeks in hospital; I was so ill.

“It doesn’t give a s*** how old you are, how young you are, or who you are.

“It’s a sneaky infection and it pretends it’s a lot of other things, but don’t panic; that’s why you need to monitor it.”

The NHS lists symptoms of sepsis in adults or older children as acting confused, slurred speech or not making sense; blue, pale or blotchy, skin, lips or tongue; a rash that does not fade when a glass is rolled over it and difficulty breathing, breathlessness or breathing very fast.

In a baby or young child the symptoms are listed as blue, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue; a rash that does not fade; difficulty breathing, breathlessness or breathing very fast; a weak, high-pitched cry that’s not like their normal cry; not responding like they normally do, or not interested in feeding or normal activities and being sleepier than normal or difficult to wake.

Sepsis can be treated successfully with antibiotics and many people make a full recovery. The longer it is left without treatment, however, the more likely it is that organ failure can occur and this can have lasting consequences for survivors.

If you suspect that yourself or your child is suffering from sepsis, you must seek medical treatment immediately.

Read more of Ms Burns' expereinces with the disease, here.