Newborns in poorer countries, where access to healthcare and sterile equipment and facilities can be difficult, are particularly at risk. The incidence of neonatal sepsis is an estimated 1.8 times higher in middle-income countries and 3.5-fold higher in low-income countries, compared with wealthier nations. South Asia has one of the highest burdens of this devastating condition: 39% of all global neonatal sepsis deaths occur in this region.