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.I must confess that two cases last week involving members of the media ecosystem that I belong to jolted me. The first was the case of a senior colleague-turned brother, Dotun Oladipo. The publisher of the Eagle Online was said to have woken up last Tuesday healthy enough to hit the gym with his wife. After that exercise, he was said to have gone to his office in Ogba, Lagos, where he felt unwell but was still strong enough to drive himself to the hospital. I learnt that he did not get to the hospital before he answered that final call, throwing family, friends, colleagues and indeed the nation into a mourning mood.That same week, the news broke of the death of another journalist based in Abuja, Patrick Osadebamwen. He was said to have been found dead in his apartment after friends who could not reach him on the telephone for days decided to visit him. Death probably came knocking too sudden for him to manage to open the door and seek help. What a sudden death indeed!The list of recent victims of sudden death syndrome is endless, but I decided to mention these two cases to buttress the point that somebody who is up and doing this moment can be in the morgue in the next hour. The response naturally may be ‘God forbid,’ but I believe it should be more than that.The frightening thing is that many people do not know that they are sick. For instance, experts say that many Nigerians live with high blood pressure without knowing it. The World Health Organisation’s Nigeria hypertension profile estimated that 19.1 million Nigerian adults aged 30–79 had hypertension in 2019, but only 47 per cent were diagnosed, 29 per cent were receiving treatment and just 11 per cent had their blood pressure controlled. This means millions may be walking around with a condition capable of damaging the heart, brain and kidneys without obvious symptoms.A person may therefore genuinely believe that he or she has no illness.Related NewsLagos seeks health, education collaboration to tackle community challengesLASG seeks research push to unlock traditional medicine potentialKatsina health workers to begin seven-day warning strike September 8Hypertension is just one of numerous underlying conditions that, if not controlled, could lead to death. Let it be known that not every person who collapses suddenly dies from a heart attack and not every unexplained death is caused by hypertension. Sometimes, the actual cause can only be established through proper medical investigation and, where necessary, autopsy. Nigeria’s weak death-registration and cause-of-death surveillance systems make it difficult to know the true scale and pattern of the problem. WHO specifically identifies the absence of a functioning system for reliable routine cause-specific mortality data as a weakness in Nigeria. Therefore, we cannot simply rely on social-media reports and conclude that sudden deaths have increased by a particular percentage.Are there things we can do as individuals to help ourselves? Experts always advise that we know our blood pressure, check blood sugar regularly (especially if at risk), exercise regularly, and reduce excessive salt and unhealthy fats. They also add that we should seek medical attention when warning signs appear.Apart from individual efforts, the government also has its roles to play. Government should make preventive healthcare a bigger component of Nigeria’s health policy, expand affordable screening for hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease at primary healthcare centres, ensure that essential hypertension and diabetes medicines are consistently available and affordable and strengthen primary healthcare so that Nigerians do not have to wait until they collapse before entering the healthcare system.The nation’s emergency response also needs review. Prevention is important, but some sudden cardiac events can potentially be survived if people around the victim know what to do. When people collapse, they may not necessarily be dead. A person in cardiac arrest requires immediate emergency intervention. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), rapid ambulance response and access to automated external defibrillators can make the difference. Public places, schools, sports facilities and major workplaces should increasingly have emergency equipment and trained personnel.We should not turn every sudden death into a mystery or conspiracy. When the cause is unclear, proper medical investigation and, where appropriate, autopsy should determine it. We should stop automatically attributing unexplained deaths to poisoning, spiritual attacks, enemies or other unverified causes. It is important for government and medical institutions to provide credible information so that rumours do not fill the vacuum created by silence.I have noted earlier that I am not a medical expert, but I know that sudden death may not be completely preventable; many of its risk factors are preventable, detectable, or manageable. Nigeria cannot simply accept the phrase “he slumped and died” as though it were an inevitable part of life. Behind every sudden death is a family that loses a father, mother, husband, wife, child, sibling or breadwinner without preparation.Death will always remain a certainty, but dying suddenly from a condition that could have been detected, treated, or managed should not become something Nigerians simply accept as our fate. We need to stop waiting for people to slump before we discover that they were sick. The battle against sudden death must begin long before the ambulance is called. Regular screening, healthier lifestyles, affordable healthcare, proper diagnosis, better emergency response and reliable mortality data can save lives.May the soul of egbon Dotun Oladipo and those of others we lost to this syndrome continue to rest in peace. 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.I must confess that two cases last week involving members of the media ecosystem that I belong to jolted me. The first was the case of a senior colleague-turned brother, Dotun Oladipo. The publisher of the Eagle Online was said to have woken up last Tuesday healthy enough to hit the gym with his wife. After that exercise, he was said to have gone to his office in Ogba, Lagos, where he felt unwell but was still strong enough to drive himself to the hospital. I learnt that he did not get to the hospital before he answered that final call, throwing family, friends, colleagues and indeed the nation into a mourning mood.That same week, the news broke of the death of another journalist based in Abuja, Patrick Osadebamwen. He was said to have been found dead in his apartment after friends who could not reach him on the telephone for days decided to visit him. Death probably came knocking too sudden for him to manage to open the door and seek help. What a sudden death indeed!The list of recent victims of sudden death syndrome is endless, but I decided to mention these two cases to buttress the point that somebody who is up and doing this moment can be in the morgue in the next hour. The response naturally may be ‘God forbid,’ but I believe it should be more than that.The frightening thing is that many people do not know that they are sick. For instance, experts say that many Nigerians live with high blood pressure without knowing it. The World Health Organisation’s Nigeria hypertension profile estimated that 19.1 million Nigerian adults aged 30–79 had hypertension in 2019, but only 47 per cent were diagnosed, 29 per cent were receiving treatment and just 11 per cent had their blood pressure controlled. This means millions may be walking around with a condition capable of damaging the heart, brain and kidneys without obvious symptoms.A person may therefore genuinely believe that he or she has no illness.Related NewsLagos seeks health, education collaboration to tackle community challengesLASG seeks research push to unlock traditional medicine potentialKatsina health workers to begin seven-day warning strike September 8Hypertension is just one of numerous underlying conditions that, if not controlled, could lead to death. Let it be known that not every person who collapses suddenly dies from a heart attack and not every unexplained death is caused by hypertension. Sometimes, the actual cause can only be established through proper medical investigation and, where necessary, autopsy. Nigeria’s weak death-registration and cause-of-death surveillance systems make it difficult to know the true scale and pattern of the problem. WHO specifically identifies the absence of a functioning system for reliable routine cause-specific mortality data as a weakness in Nigeria. Therefore, we cannot simply rely on social-media reports and conclude that sudden deaths have increased by a particular percentage.Are there things we can do as individuals to help ourselves? Experts always advise that we know our blood pressure, check blood sugar regularly (especially if at risk), exercise regularly, and reduce excessive salt and unhealthy fats. They also add that we should seek medical attention when warning signs appear.Apart from individual efforts, the government also has its roles to play. Government should make preventive healthcare a bigger component of Nigeria’s health policy, expand affordable screening for hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease at primary healthcare centres, ensure that essential hypertension and diabetes medicines are consistently available and affordable and strengthen primary healthcare so that Nigerians do not have to wait until they collapse before entering the healthcare system.The nation’s emergency response also needs review. Prevention is important, but some sudden cardiac events can potentially be survived if people around the victim know what to do. When people collapse, they may not necessarily be dead. A person in cardiac arrest requires immediate emergency intervention. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), rapid ambulance response and access to automated external defibrillators can make the difference. Public places, schools, sports facilities and major workplaces should increasingly have emergency equipment and trained personnel.We should not turn every sudden death into a mystery or conspiracy. When the cause is unclear, proper medical investigation and, where appropriate, autopsy should determine it. We should stop automatically attributing unexplained deaths to poisoning, spiritual attacks, enemies or other unverified causes. It is important for government and medical institutions to provide credible information so that rumours do not fill the vacuum created by silence.I have noted earlier that I am not a medical expert, but I know that sudden death may not be completely preventable; many of its risk factors are preventable, detectable, or manageable. Nigeria cannot simply accept the phrase “he slumped and died” as though it were an inevitable part of life. Behind every sudden death is a family that loses a father, mother, husband, wife, child, sibling or breadwinner without preparation.Death will always remain a certainty, but dying suddenly from a condition that could have been detected, treated, or managed should not become something Nigerians simply accept as our fate. We need to stop waiting for people to slump before we discover that they were sick. The battle against sudden death must begin long before the ambulance is called. Regular screening, healthier lifestyles, affordable healthcare, proper diagnosis, better emergency response and reliable mortality data can save lives.May the soul of egbon Dotun Oladipo and those of others we lost to this syndrome continue to rest in peace. 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.I must confess that two cases last week involving members of the media ecosystem that I belong to jolted me. The first was the case of a senior colleague-turned brother, Dotun Oladipo. The publisher of the Eagle Online was said to have woken up last Tuesday healthy enough to hit the gym with his wife. After that exercise, he was said to have gone to his office in Ogba, Lagos, where he felt unwell but was still strong enough to drive himself to the hospital. I learnt that he did not get to the hospital before he answered that final call, throwing family, friends, colleagues and indeed the nation into a mourning mood.That same week, the news broke of the death of another journalist based in Abuja, Patrick Osadebamwen. He was said to have been found dead in his apartment after friends who could not reach him on the telephone for days decided to visit him. Death probably came knocking too sudden for him to manage to open the door and seek help. What a sudden death indeed!The list of recent victims of sudden death syndrome is endless, but I decided to mention these two cases to buttress the point that somebody who is up and doing this moment can be in the morgue in the next hour. The response naturally may be ‘God forbid,’ but I believe it should be more than that.The frightening thing is that many people do not know that they are sick. For instance, experts say that many Nigerians live with high blood pressure without knowing it. The World Health Organisation’s Nigeria hypertension profile estimated that 19.1 million Nigerian adults aged 30–79 had hypertension in 2019, but only 47 per cent were diagnosed, 29 per cent were receiving treatment and just 11 per cent had their blood pressure controlled. This means millions may be walking around with a condition capable of damaging the heart, brain and kidneys without obvious symptoms.A person may therefore genuinely believe that he or she has no illness.Related NewsLagos seeks health, education collaboration to tackle community challengesLASG seeks research push to unlock traditional medicine potentialKatsina health workers to begin seven-day warning strike September 8Hypertension is just one of numerous underlying conditions that, if not controlled, could lead to death. Let it be known that not every person who collapses suddenly dies from a heart attack and not every unexplained death is caused by hypertension. Sometimes, the actual cause can only be established through proper medical investigation and, where necessary, autopsy. Nigeria’s weak death-registration and cause-of-death surveillance systems make it difficult to know the true scale and pattern of the problem. WHO specifically identifies the absence of a functioning system for reliable routine cause-specific mortality data as a weakness in Nigeria. Therefore, we cannot simply rely on social-media reports and conclude that sudden deaths have increased by a particular percentage.Are there things we can do as individuals to help ourselves? Experts always advise that we know our blood pressure, check blood sugar regularly (especially if at risk), exercise regularly, and reduce excessive salt and unhealthy fats. They also add that we should seek medical attention when warning signs appear.Apart from individual efforts, the government also has its roles to play. Government should make preventive healthcare a bigger component of Nigeria’s health policy, expand affordable screening for hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease at primary healthcare centres, ensure that essential hypertension and diabetes medicines are consistently available and affordable and strengthen primary healthcare so that Nigerians do not have to wait until they collapse before entering the healthcare system.The nation’s emergency response also needs review. Prevention is important, but some sudden cardiac events can potentially be survived if people around the victim know what to do. When people collapse, they may not necessarily be dead. A person in cardiac arrest requires immediate emergency intervention. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), rapid ambulance response and access to automated external defibrillators can make the difference. Public places, schools, sports facilities and major workplaces should increasingly have emergency equipment and trained personnel.We should not turn every sudden death into a mystery or conspiracy. When the cause is unclear, proper medical investigation and, where appropriate, autopsy should determine it. We should stop automatically attributing unexplained deaths to poisoning, spiritual attacks, enemies or other unverified causes. It is important for government and medical institutions to provide credible information so that rumours do not fill the vacuum created by silence.I have noted earlier that I am not a medical expert, but I know that sudden death may not be completely preventable; many of its risk factors are preventable, detectable, or manageable. Nigeria cannot simply accept the phrase “he slumped and died” as though it were an inevitable part of life. Behind every sudden death is a family that loses a father, mother, husband, wife, child, sibling or breadwinner without preparation.Death will always remain a certainty, but dying suddenly from a condition that could have been detected, treated, or managed should not become something Nigerians simply accept as our fate. We need to stop waiting for people to slump before we discover that they were sick. The battle against sudden death must begin long before the ambulance is called. Regular screening, healthier lifestyles, affordable healthcare, proper diagnosis, better emergency response and reliable mortality data can save lives.May the soul of egbon Dotun Oladipo and those of others we lost to this syndrome continue to rest in peace. I must confess that two cases last week involving members of the media ecosystem that I belong to jolted me. The first was the case of a senior colleague-turned brother, Dotun Oladipo. The publisher of the Eagle Online was said to have woken up last Tuesday healthy enough to hit the gym with his wife. After that exercise, he was said to have gone to his office in Ogba, Lagos, where he felt unwell but was still strong enough to drive himself to the hospital. I learnt that he did not get to the hospital before he answered that final call, throwing family, friends, colleagues and indeed the nation into a mourning mood.That same week, the news broke of the death of another journalist based in Abuja, Patrick Osadebamwen. He was said to have been found dead in his apartment after friends who could not reach him on the telephone for days decided to visit him. Death probably came knocking too sudden for him to manage to open the door and seek help. What a sudden death indeed!The list of recent victims of sudden death syndrome is endless, but I decided to mention these two cases to buttress the point that somebody who is up and doing this moment can be in the morgue in the next hour. The response naturally may be ‘God forbid,’ but I believe it should be more than that.The frightening thing is that many people do not know that they are sick. For instance, experts say that many Nigerians live with high blood pressure without knowing it. The World Health Organisation’s Nigeria hypertension profile estimated that 19.1 million Nigerian adults aged 30–79 had hypertension in 2019, but only 47 per cent were diagnosed, 29 per cent were receiving treatment and just 11 per cent had their blood pressure controlled. This means millions may be walking around with a condition capable of damaging the heart, brain and kidneys without obvious symptoms.A person may therefore genuinely believe that he or she has no illness.Related NewsLagos seeks health, education collaboration to tackle community challengesLASG seeks research push to unlock traditional medicine potentialKatsina health workers to begin seven-day warning strike September 8Hypertension is just one of numerous underlying conditions that, if not controlled, could lead to death. Let it be known that not every person who collapses suddenly dies from a heart attack and not every unexplained death is caused by hypertension. Sometimes, the actual cause can only be established through proper medical investigation and, where necessary, autopsy. Nigeria’s weak death-registration and cause-of-death surveillance systems make it difficult to know the true scale and pattern of the problem. WHO specifically identifies the absence of a functioning system for reliable routine cause-specific mortality data as a weakness in Nigeria. Therefore, we cannot simply rely on social-media reports and conclude that sudden deaths have increased by a particular percentage.Are there things we can do as individuals to help ourselves? Experts always advise that we know our blood pressure, check blood sugar regularly (especially if at risk), exercise regularly, and reduce excessive salt and unhealthy fats. They also add that we should seek medical attention when warning signs appear.Apart from individual efforts, the government also has its roles to play. Government should make preventive healthcare a bigger component of Nigeria’s health policy, expand affordable screening for hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease at primary healthcare centres, ensure that essential hypertension and diabetes medicines are consistently available and affordable and strengthen primary healthcare so that Nigerians do not have to wait until they collapse before entering the healthcare system.The nation’s emergency response also needs review. Prevention is important, but some sudden cardiac events can potentially be survived if people around the victim know what to do. When people collapse, they may not necessarily be dead. A person in cardiac arrest requires immediate emergency intervention. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), rapid ambulance response and access to automated external defibrillators can make the difference. Public places, schools, sports facilities and major workplaces should increasingly have emergency equipment and trained personnel.We should not turn every sudden death into a mystery or conspiracy. When the cause is unclear, proper medical investigation and, where appropriate, autopsy should determine it. We should stop automatically attributing unexplained deaths to poisoning, spiritual attacks, enemies or other unverified causes. It is important for government and medical institutions to provide credible information so that rumours do not fill the vacuum created by silence.I have noted earlier that I am not a medical expert, but I know that sudden death may not be completely preventable; many of its risk factors are preventable, detectable, or manageable. Nigeria cannot simply accept the phrase “he slumped and died” as though it were an inevitable part of life. Behind every sudden death is a family that loses a father, mother, husband, wife, child, sibling or breadwinner without preparation.Death will always remain a certainty, but dying suddenly from a condition that could have been detected, treated, or managed should not become something Nigerians simply accept as our fate. We need to stop waiting for people to slump before we discover that they were sick. The battle against sudden death must begin long before the ambulance is called. Regular screening, healthier lifestyles, affordable healthcare, proper diagnosis, better emergency response and reliable mortality data can save lives.May the soul of egbon Dotun Oladipo and those of others we lost to this syndrome continue to rest in peace. That same week, the news broke of the death of another journalist based in Abuja, Patrick Osadebamwen. He was said to have been found dead in his apartment after friends who could not reach him on the telephone for days decided to visit him. Death probably came knocking too sudden for him to manage to open the door and seek help. What a sudden death indeed!The list of recent victims of sudden death syndrome is endless, but I decided to mention these two cases to buttress the point that somebody who is up and doing this moment can be in the morgue in the next hour. The response naturally may be ‘God forbid,’ but I believe it should be more than that.The frightening thing is that many people do not know that they are sick. For instance, experts say that many Nigerians live with high blood pressure without knowing it. The World Health Organisation’s Nigeria hypertension profile estimated that 19.1 million Nigerian adults aged 30–79 had hypertension in 2019, but only 47 per cent were diagnosed, 29 per cent were receiving treatment and just 11 per cent had their blood pressure controlled. This means millions may be walking around with a condition capable of damaging the heart, brain and kidneys without obvious symptoms.A person may therefore genuinely believe that he or she has no illness.Related NewsLagos seeks health, education collaboration to tackle community challengesLASG seeks research push to unlock traditional medicine potentialKatsina health workers to begin seven-day warning strike September 8Hypertension is just one of numerous underlying conditions that, if not controlled, could lead to death. Let it be known that not every person who collapses suddenly dies from a heart attack and not every unexplained death is caused by hypertension. Sometimes, the actual cause can only be established through proper medical investigation and, where necessary, autopsy. Nigeria’s weak death-registration and cause-of-death surveillance systems make it difficult to know the true scale and pattern of the problem. WHO specifically identifies the absence of a functioning system for reliable routine cause-specific mortality data as a weakness in Nigeria. Therefore, we cannot simply rely on social-media reports and conclude that sudden deaths have increased by a particular percentage.Are there things we can do as individuals to help ourselves? Experts always advise that we know our blood pressure, check blood sugar regularly (especially if at risk), exercise regularly, and reduce excessive salt and unhealthy fats. They also add that we should seek medical attention when warning signs appear.Apart from individual efforts, the government also has its roles to play. Government should make preventive healthcare a bigger component of Nigeria’s health policy, expand affordable screening for hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease at primary healthcare centres, ensure that essential hypertension and diabetes medicines are consistently available and affordable and strengthen primary healthcare so that Nigerians do not have to wait until they collapse before entering the healthcare system.The nation’s emergency response also needs review. Prevention is important, but some sudden cardiac events can potentially be survived if people around the victim know what to do. When people collapse, they may not necessarily be dead. A person in cardiac arrest requires immediate emergency intervention. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), rapid ambulance response and access to automated external defibrillators can make the difference. Public places, schools, sports facilities and major workplaces should increasingly have emergency equipment and trained personnel.We should not turn every sudden death into a mystery or conspiracy. When the cause is unclear, proper medical investigation and, where appropriate, autopsy should determine it. We should stop automatically attributing unexplained deaths to poisoning, spiritual attacks, enemies or other unverified causes. It is important for government and medical institutions to provide credible information so that rumours do not fill the vacuum created by silence.I have noted earlier that I am not a medical expert, but I know that sudden death may not be completely preventable; many of its risk factors are preventable, detectable, or manageable. Nigeria cannot simply accept the phrase “he slumped and died” as though it were an inevitable part of life. Behind every sudden death is a family that loses a father, mother, husband, wife, child, sibling or breadwinner without preparation.Death will always remain a certainty, but dying suddenly from a condition that could have been detected, treated, or managed should not become something Nigerians simply accept as our fate. We need to stop waiting for people to slump before we discover that they were sick. The battle against sudden death must begin long before the ambulance is called. Regular screening, healthier lifestyles, affordable healthcare, proper diagnosis, better emergency response and reliable mortality data can save lives.May the soul of egbon Dotun Oladipo and those of others we lost to this syndrome continue to rest in peace. The list of recent victims of sudden death syndrome is endless, but I decided to mention these two cases to buttress the point that somebody who is up and doing this moment can be in the morgue in the next hour. The response naturally may be ‘God forbid,’ but I believe it should be more than that.The frightening thing is that many people do not know that they are sick. For instance, experts say that many Nigerians live with high blood pressure without knowing it. The World Health Organisation’s Nigeria hypertension profile estimated that 19.1 million Nigerian adults aged 30–79 had hypertension in 2019, but only 47 per cent were diagnosed, 29 per cent were receiving treatment and just 11 per cent had their blood pressure controlled. This means millions may be walking around with a condition capable of damaging the heart, brain and kidneys without obvious symptoms.A person may therefore genuinely believe that he or she has no illness.Related NewsLagos seeks health, education collaboration to tackle community challengesLASG seeks research push to unlock traditional medicine potentialKatsina health workers to begin seven-day warning strike September 8Hypertension is just one of numerous underlying conditions that, if not controlled, could lead to death. Let it be known that not every person who collapses suddenly dies from a heart attack and not every unexplained death is caused by hypertension. Sometimes, the actual cause can only be established through proper medical investigation and, where necessary, autopsy. Nigeria’s weak death-registration and cause-of-death surveillance systems make it difficult to know the true scale and pattern of the problem. WHO specifically identifies the absence of a functioning system for reliable routine cause-specific mortality data as a weakness in Nigeria. Therefore, we cannot simply rely on social-media reports and conclude that sudden deaths have increased by a particular percentage.Are there things we can do as individuals to help ourselves? Experts always advise that we know our blood pressure, check blood sugar regularly (especially if at risk), exercise regularly, and reduce excessive salt and unhealthy fats. They also add that we should seek medical attention when warning signs appear.Apart from individual efforts, the government also has its roles to play. Government should make preventive healthcare a bigger component of Nigeria’s health policy, expand affordable screening for hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease at primary healthcare centres, ensure that essential hypertension and diabetes medicines are consistently available and affordable and strengthen primary healthcare so that Nigerians do not have to wait until they collapse before entering the healthcare system.The nation’s emergency response also needs review. Prevention is important, but some sudden cardiac events can potentially be survived if people around the victim know what to do. When people collapse, they may not necessarily be dead. A person in cardiac arrest requires immediate emergency intervention. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), rapid ambulance response and access to automated external defibrillators can make the difference. Public places, schools, sports facilities and major workplaces should increasingly have emergency equipment and trained personnel.We should not turn every sudden death into a mystery or conspiracy. When the cause is unclear, proper medical investigation and, where appropriate, autopsy should determine it. We should stop automatically attributing unexplained deaths to poisoning, spiritual attacks, enemies or other unverified causes. It is important for government and medical institutions to provide credible information so that rumours do not fill the vacuum created by silence.I have noted earlier that I am not a medical expert, but I know that sudden death may not be completely preventable; many of its risk factors are preventable, detectable, or manageable. Nigeria cannot simply accept the phrase “he slumped and died” as though it were an inevitable part of life. Behind every sudden death is a family that loses a father, mother, husband, wife, child, sibling or breadwinner without preparation.Death will always remain a certainty, but dying suddenly from a condition that could have been detected, treated, or managed should not become something Nigerians simply accept as our fate. We need to stop waiting for people to slump before we discover that they were sick. The battle against sudden death must begin long before the ambulance is called. Regular screening, healthier lifestyles, affordable healthcare, proper diagnosis, better emergency response and reliable mortality data can save lives.May the soul of egbon Dotun Oladipo and those of others we lost to this syndrome continue to rest in peace. The frightening thing is that many people do not know that they are sick. For instance, experts say that many Nigerians live with high blood pressure without knowing it. The World Health Organisation’s Nigeria hypertension profile estimated that 19.1 million Nigerian adults aged 30–79 had hypertension in 2019, but only 47 per cent were diagnosed, 29 per cent were receiving treatment and just 11 per cent had their blood pressure controlled. This means millions may be walking around with a condition capable of damaging the heart, brain and kidneys without obvious symptoms.A person may therefore genuinely believe that he or she has no illness.Related NewsLagos seeks health, education collaboration to tackle community challengesLASG seeks research push to unlock traditional medicine potentialKatsina health workers to begin seven-day warning strike September 8Hypertension is just one of numerous underlying conditions that, if not controlled, could lead to death. Let it be known that not every person who collapses suddenly dies from a heart attack and not every unexplained death is caused by hypertension. Sometimes, the actual cause can only be established through proper medical investigation and, where necessary, autopsy. Nigeria’s weak death-registration and cause-of-death surveillance systems make it difficult to know the true scale and pattern of the problem. WHO specifically identifies the absence of a functioning system for reliable routine cause-specific mortality data as a weakness in Nigeria. Therefore, we cannot simply rely on social-media reports and conclude that sudden deaths have increased by a particular percentage.Are there things we can do as individuals to help ourselves? Experts always advise that we know our blood pressure, check blood sugar regularly (especially if at risk), exercise regularly, and reduce excessive salt and unhealthy fats. They also add that we should seek medical attention when warning signs appear.Apart from individual efforts, the government also has its roles to play. Government should make preventive healthcare a bigger component of Nigeria’s health policy, expand affordable screening for hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease at primary healthcare centres, ensure that essential hypertension and diabetes medicines are consistently available and affordable and strengthen primary healthcare so that Nigerians do not have to wait until they collapse before entering the healthcare system.The nation’s emergency response also needs review. Prevention is important, but some sudden cardiac events can potentially be survived if people around the victim know what to do. When people collapse, they may not necessarily be dead. A person in cardiac arrest requires immediate emergency intervention. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), rapid ambulance response and access to automated external defibrillators can make the difference. Public places, schools, sports facilities and major workplaces should increasingly have emergency equipment and trained personnel.We should not turn every sudden death into a mystery or conspiracy. When the cause is unclear, proper medical investigation and, where appropriate, autopsy should determine it. We should stop automatically attributing unexplained deaths to poisoning, spiritual attacks, enemies or other unverified causes. It is important for government and medical institutions to provide credible information so that rumours do not fill the vacuum created by silence.I have noted earlier that I am not a medical expert, but I know that sudden death may not be completely preventable; many of its risk factors are preventable, detectable, or manageable. Nigeria cannot simply accept the phrase “he slumped and died” as though it were an inevitable part of life. Behind every sudden death is a family that loses a father, mother, husband, wife, child, sibling or breadwinner without preparation.Death will always remain a certainty, but dying suddenly from a condition that could have been detected, treated, or managed should not become something Nigerians simply accept as our fate. We need to stop waiting for people to slump before we discover that they were sick. The battle against sudden death must begin long before the ambulance is called. Regular screening, healthier lifestyles, affordable healthcare, proper diagnosis, better emergency response and reliable mortality data can save lives.May the soul of egbon Dotun Oladipo and those of others we lost to this syndrome continue to rest in peace. A person may therefore genuinely believe that he or she has no illness.Related NewsLagos seeks health, education collaboration to tackle community challengesLASG seeks research push to unlock traditional medicine potentialKatsina health workers to begin seven-day warning strike September 8Hypertension is just one of numerous underlying conditions that, if not controlled, could lead to death. Let it be known that not every person who collapses suddenly dies from a heart attack and not every unexplained death is caused by hypertension. Sometimes, the actual cause can only be established through proper medical investigation and, where necessary, autopsy. Nigeria’s weak death-registration and cause-of-death surveillance systems make it difficult to know the true scale and pattern of the problem. WHO specifically identifies the absence of a functioning system for reliable routine cause-specific mortality data as a weakness in Nigeria. Therefore, we cannot simply rely on social-media reports and conclude that sudden deaths have increased by a particular percentage.Are there things we can do as individuals to help ourselves? Experts always advise that we know our blood pressure, check blood sugar regularly (especially if at risk), exercise regularly, and reduce excessive salt and unhealthy fats. They also add that we should seek medical attention when warning signs appear.Apart from individual efforts, the government also has its roles to play. Government should make preventive healthcare a bigger component of Nigeria’s health policy, expand affordable screening for hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease at primary healthcare centres, ensure that essential hypertension and diabetes medicines are consistently available and affordable and strengthen primary healthcare so that Nigerians do not have to wait until they collapse before entering the healthcare system.The nation’s emergency response also needs review. Prevention is important, but some sudden cardiac events can potentially be survived if people around the victim know what to do. When people collapse, they may not necessarily be dead. A person in cardiac arrest requires immediate emergency intervention. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), rapid ambulance response and access to automated external defibrillators can make the difference. Public places, schools, sports facilities and major workplaces should increasingly have emergency equipment and trained personnel.We should not turn every sudden death into a mystery or conspiracy. When the cause is unclear, proper medical investigation and, where appropriate, autopsy should determine it. We should stop automatically attributing unexplained deaths to poisoning, spiritual attacks, enemies or other unverified causes. It is important for government and medical institutions to provide credible information so that rumours do not fill the vacuum created by silence.I have noted earlier that I am not a medical expert, but I know that sudden death may not be completely preventable; many of its risk factors are preventable, detectable, or manageable. Nigeria cannot simply accept the phrase “he slumped and died” as though it were an inevitable part of life. Behind every sudden death is a family that loses a father, mother, husband, wife, child, sibling or breadwinner without preparation.Death will always remain a certainty, but dying suddenly from a condition that could have been detected, treated, or managed should not become something Nigerians simply accept as our fate. We need to stop waiting for people to slump before we discover that they were sick. The battle against sudden death must begin long before the ambulance is called. Regular screening, healthier lifestyles, affordable healthcare, proper diagnosis, better emergency response and reliable mortality data can save lives.May the soul of egbon Dotun Oladipo and those of others we lost to this syndrome continue to rest in peace. Hypertension is just one of numerous underlying conditions that, if not controlled, could lead to death. Let it be known that not every person who collapses suddenly dies from a heart attack and not every unexplained death is caused by hypertension. Sometimes, the actual cause can only be established through proper medical investigation and, where necessary, autopsy. Nigeria’s weak death-registration and cause-of-death surveillance systems make it difficult to know the true scale and pattern of the problem. WHO specifically identifies the absence of a functioning system for reliable routine cause-specific mortality data as a weakness in Nigeria. Therefore, we cannot simply rely on social-media reports and conclude that sudden deaths have increased by a particular percentage.Are there things we can do as individuals to help ourselves? Experts always advise that we know our blood pressure, check blood sugar regularly (especially if at risk), exercise regularly, and reduce excessive salt and unhealthy fats. They also add that we should seek medical attention when warning signs appear.Apart from individual efforts, the government also has its roles to play. Government should make preventive healthcare a bigger component of Nigeria’s health policy, expand affordable screening for hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease at primary healthcare centres, ensure that essential hypertension and diabetes medicines are consistently available and affordable and strengthen primary healthcare so that Nigerians do not have to wait until they collapse before entering the healthcare system.The nation’s emergency response also needs review. Prevention is important, but some sudden cardiac events can potentially be survived if people around the victim know what to do. When people collapse, they may not necessarily be dead. A person in cardiac arrest requires immediate emergency intervention. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), rapid ambulance response and access to automated external defibrillators can make the difference. Public places, schools, sports facilities and major workplaces should increasingly have emergency equipment and trained personnel.We should not turn every sudden death into a mystery or conspiracy. When the cause is unclear, proper medical investigation and, where appropriate, autopsy should determine it. We should stop automatically attributing unexplained deaths to poisoning, spiritual attacks, enemies or other unverified causes. It is important for government and medical institutions to provide credible information so that rumours do not fill the vacuum created by silence.I have noted earlier that I am not a medical expert, but I know that sudden death may not be completely preventable; many of its risk factors are preventable, detectable, or manageable. Nigeria cannot simply accept the phrase “he slumped and died” as though it were an inevitable part of life. Behind every sudden death is a family that loses a father, mother, husband, wife, child, sibling or breadwinner without preparation.Death will always remain a certainty, but dying suddenly from a condition that could have been detected, treated, or managed should not become something Nigerians simply accept as our fate. We need to stop waiting for people to slump before we discover that they were sick. The battle against sudden death must begin long before the ambulance is called. Regular screening, healthier lifestyles, affordable healthcare, proper diagnosis, better emergency response and reliable mortality data can save lives.May the soul of egbon Dotun Oladipo and those of others we lost to this syndrome continue to rest in peace. Are there things we can do as individuals to help ourselves? Experts always advise that we know our blood pressure, check blood sugar regularly (especially if at risk), exercise regularly, and reduce excessive salt and unhealthy fats. They also add that we should seek medical attention when warning signs appear.Apart from individual efforts, the government also has its roles to play. Government should make preventive healthcare a bigger component of Nigeria’s health policy, expand affordable screening for hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease at primary healthcare centres, ensure that essential hypertension and diabetes medicines are consistently available and affordable and strengthen primary healthcare so that Nigerians do not have to wait until they collapse before entering the healthcare system.The nation’s emergency response also needs review. Prevention is important, but some sudden cardiac events can potentially be survived if people around the victim know what to do. When people collapse, they may not necessarily be dead. A person in cardiac arrest requires immediate emergency intervention. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), rapid ambulance response and access to automated external defibrillators can make the difference. Public places, schools, sports facilities and major workplaces should increasingly have emergency equipment and trained personnel.We should not turn every sudden death into a mystery or conspiracy. When the cause is unclear, proper medical investigation and, where appropriate, autopsy should determine it. We should stop automatically attributing unexplained deaths to poisoning, spiritual attacks, enemies or other unverified causes. It is important for government and medical institutions to provide credible information so that rumours do not fill the vacuum created by silence.I have noted earlier that I am not a medical expert, but I know that sudden death may not be completely preventable; many of its risk factors are preventable, detectable, or manageable. Nigeria cannot simply accept the phrase “he slumped and died” as though it were an inevitable part of life. Behind every sudden death is a family that loses a father, mother, husband, wife, child, sibling or breadwinner without preparation.Death will always remain a certainty, but dying suddenly from a condition that could have been detected, treated, or managed should not become something Nigerians simply accept as our fate. We need to stop waiting for people to slump before we discover that they were sick. The battle against sudden death must begin long before the ambulance is called. Regular screening, healthier lifestyles, affordable healthcare, proper diagnosis, better emergency response and reliable mortality data can save lives.May the soul of egbon Dotun Oladipo and those of others we lost to this syndrome continue to rest in peace. Apart from individual efforts, the government also has its roles to play. Government should make preventive healthcare a bigger component of Nigeria’s health policy, expand affordable screening for hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease at primary healthcare centres, ensure that essential hypertension and diabetes medicines are consistently available and affordable and strengthen primary healthcare so that Nigerians do not have to wait until they collapse before entering the healthcare system.The nation’s emergency response also needs review. Prevention is important, but some sudden cardiac events can potentially be survived if people around the victim know what to do. When people collapse, they may not necessarily be dead. A person in cardiac arrest requires immediate emergency intervention. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), rapid ambulance response and access to automated external defibrillators can make the difference. Public places, schools, sports facilities and major workplaces should increasingly have emergency equipment and trained personnel.We should not turn every sudden death into a mystery or conspiracy. When the cause is unclear, proper medical investigation and, where appropriate, autopsy should determine it. We should stop automatically attributing unexplained deaths to poisoning, spiritual attacks, enemies or other unverified causes. It is important for government and medical institutions to provide credible information so that rumours do not fill the vacuum created by silence.I have noted earlier that I am not a medical expert, but I know that sudden death may not be completely preventable; many of its risk factors are preventable, detectable, or manageable. Nigeria cannot simply accept the phrase “he slumped and died” as though it were an inevitable part of life. Behind every sudden death is a family that loses a father, mother, husband, wife, child, sibling or breadwinner without preparation.Death will always remain a certainty, but dying suddenly from a condition that could have been detected, treated, or managed should not become something Nigerians simply accept as our fate. We need to stop waiting for people to slump before we discover that they were sick. The battle against sudden death must begin long before the ambulance is called. Regular screening, healthier lifestyles, affordable healthcare, proper diagnosis, better emergency response and reliable mortality data can save lives.May the soul of egbon Dotun Oladipo and those of others we lost to this syndrome continue to rest in peace. The nation’s emergency response also needs review. Prevention is important, but some sudden cardiac events can potentially be survived if people around the victim know what to do. When people collapse, they may not necessarily be dead. A person in cardiac arrest requires immediate emergency intervention. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), rapid ambulance response and access to automated external defibrillators can make the difference. Public places, schools, sports facilities and major workplaces should increasingly have emergency equipment and trained personnel.We should not turn every sudden death into a mystery or conspiracy. When the cause is unclear, proper medical investigation and, where appropriate, autopsy should determine it. We should stop automatically attributing unexplained deaths to poisoning, spiritual attacks, enemies or other unverified causes. It is important for government and medical institutions to provide credible information so that rumours do not fill the vacuum created by silence.I have noted earlier that I am not a medical expert, but I know that sudden death may not be completely preventable; many of its risk factors are preventable, detectable, or manageable. Nigeria cannot simply accept the phrase “he slumped and died” as though it were an inevitable part of life. Behind every sudden death is a family that loses a father, mother, husband, wife, child, sibling or breadwinner without preparation.Death will always remain a certainty, but dying suddenly from a condition that could have been detected, treated, or managed should not become something Nigerians simply accept as our fate. We need to stop waiting for people to slump before we discover that they were sick. The battle against sudden death must begin long before the ambulance is called. Regular screening, healthier lifestyles, affordable healthcare, proper diagnosis, better emergency response and reliable mortality data can save lives.May the soul of egbon Dotun Oladipo and those of others we lost to this syndrome continue to rest in peace. We should not turn every sudden death into a mystery or conspiracy. When the cause is unclear, proper medical investigation and, where appropriate, autopsy should determine it. We should stop automatically attributing unexplained deaths to poisoning, spiritual attacks, enemies or other unverified causes. It is important for government and medical institutions to provide credible information so that rumours do not fill the vacuum created by silence.I have noted earlier that I am not a medical expert, but I know that sudden death may not be completely preventable; many of its risk factors are preventable, detectable, or manageable. Nigeria cannot simply accept the phrase “he slumped and died” as though it were an inevitable part of life. Behind every sudden death is a family that loses a father, mother, husband, wife, child, sibling or breadwinner without preparation.Death will always remain a certainty, but dying suddenly from a condition that could have been detected, treated, or managed should not become something Nigerians simply accept as our fate. We need to stop waiting for people to slump before we discover that they were sick. The battle against sudden death must begin long before the ambulance is called. Regular screening, healthier lifestyles, affordable healthcare, proper diagnosis, better emergency response and reliable mortality data can save lives.May the soul of egbon Dotun Oladipo and those of others we lost to this syndrome continue to rest in peace. I have noted earlier that I am not a medical expert, but I know that sudden death may not be completely preventable; many of its risk factors are preventable, detectable, or manageable. Nigeria cannot simply accept the phrase “he slumped and died” as though it were an inevitable part of life. Behind every sudden death is a family that loses a father, mother, husband, wife, child, sibling or breadwinner without preparation.Death will always remain a certainty, but dying suddenly from a condition that could have been detected, treated, or managed should not become something Nigerians simply accept as our fate. We need to stop waiting for people to slump before we discover that they were sick. The battle against sudden death must begin long before the ambulance is called. Regular screening, healthier lifestyles, affordable healthcare, proper diagnosis, better emergency response and reliable mortality data can save lives.May the soul of egbon Dotun Oladipo and those of others we lost to this syndrome continue to rest in peace. Death will always remain a certainty, but dying suddenly from a condition that could have been detected, treated, or managed should not become something Nigerians simply accept as our fate. We need to stop waiting for people to slump before we discover that they were sick. The battle against sudden death must begin long before the ambulance is called. Regular screening, healthier lifestyles, affordable healthcare, proper diagnosis, better emergency response and reliable mortality data can save lives.May the soul of egbon Dotun Oladipo and those of others we lost to this syndrome continue to rest in peace. May the soul of egbon Dotun Oladipo and those of others we lost to this syndrome continue to rest in peace.