It wasn’t my plan to write on health issues again this week after last week’s edition that centered on illnesses that are becoming a death sentence. But I found it difficult to resist the urge, with some deaths recorded last week, including those of senior colleagues. Here, I am not talking about deaths after prolonged illness. I am talking about what has now become known as sudden deaths.
Many times, when deaths that fall under this category are announced, we hear about how those involved went to work, went to church, played football, stood at the bus stop waiting for vehicles, or were at the market buying stuff and suddenly slumped and died. The frequency of deaths like this is frightening. When such tragedies strike, the description from laypeople like me will be that he or she was fine until he or she suddenly slumped and died. But for medical experts, there is no death without a cause. Nobody dies without a medical explanation for it.
To make the matter worse, many of the victims of this sudden death syndrome did not also appear sick. They appeared perfectly healthy, and then they suddenly became victims. This is creating a new kind of anxiety that death can come without a warning that is obvious enough for all to see.
