Deadly sepsis cases spike among young athletes in England

Adam Ankers, 17, and Matthew Dunning, 20, both died from undiagnosed sepsis within weeks of each other in Yorkshire this year. Their families say they exhibited no prior symptoms, raising alarms about the disease’s stealth among the young and physically active. Ankers collapsed during a football match in Barnsley on March 12; Dunning died at home in Sheffield on May 7. Both were otherwise healthy, with no underlying conditions.

Health chiefs at Public Health England confirm a 15% rise in sepsis cases among 15-to-24-year-olds over the past two years, with the sharpest spike in urban centers like Manchester and Birmingham. Dr. Eleanor Voss, a sepsis specialist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, said the trend is alarming because sufferers often don’t show the classic fever or rash. “They might just feel unusually tired or have a racing heartbeat,” she said. “By the time they reach A&E, it’s often too late.”

Ankers’ mother, Lisa, found her son unconscious on the pitch. Paramedics later told her sepsis was the cause, though no prior diagnosis had been made. Dunning’s father, Paul, said his son had complained of fatigue days before his death but brushed it off as exam stress. Both families have launched campaigns calling for mandatory sepsis screenings in sports clubs and universities.

The NHS has launched a £1.2 million awareness campaign targeting high schools and sports facilities, but critics say it’s a drop in the ocean. “We need to treat this like a public health crisis,” said Dr. Raj Patel of the UK Sepsis Trust. “Every hour without antibiotics increases the death rate by eight percent.”

In response, the Football Association has pledged to add sepsis awareness videos to its coaching courses starting next month. Medical directors at Premier League clubs have also been briefed on red-flag symptoms. Yet for the Ankers and Dunning families, the measures feel like too little, too late. “Adam was fitter than most people I know,” Lisa Ankers said. “Sepsis didn’t care about that.”

The coroner’s report on Dunning’s death is due next week. Ankers’ inquest begins in August. Public health experts warn that without systemic change, the next tragedy could be just weeks away.