Top 10 Causes of Death
Someone I know lost her dad two days ago. He had been ill for a long time and his family could not afford the amount he needed to get the operation that would have made him well again. He needed over half a million and after going to friends and other family members for help and realising less than a hundred grand in over 3 months, they gave up on their dad and just waited for the disease to kill him, which it did two days ago.
This got me thinking about how much poverty is killing people in some parts of Africa. Giving up on your father because of N500, 000 sounds painful, but it's some people's reality.
I decided to find out what the top ten causes of death are in the Western world and compare it to the top ten causes of death in Africa.
Here's what I discovered...
Top ten causes of death for high-income countries:
1. Heart disease
2. Stroke
3. Lung cancer
4. Lower respiratory infections
5. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
6. Colon and rectum cancers
7. Alzheimer's disease
8. Type 2 diabetes
9. Breast cancer
10. Stomach cancer
Here is the list for low- and middle-income countries:
1. Heart disease
2. Stroke
3. Lower respiratory infections
4. HIV/AIDS
5. Fetus/newborn (perinatal) conditions
6. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
7. Diarrhea
8. Tuberculosis
9. Malaria
10. Road traffic accidents
First and foremost I do not know anyone who has died of aids, so I can't talk about that.
Road traffic accidents should have come in the top five (At least for Nigeria). Most people I know who are dead died in one car accident or another. The bad roads, recklessness of drivers and the bad conditions of vehicles are to blame for this.
Top 3 should have included POVERTY.
People get sick and can't afford medical bills...they die
They drink bad water, because they have no access to clean water, they have cholera...they die.
Poor people can't afford mosquito nets, insecticides...they get malaria...they die
They can't afford real expensive hospitals where they'll get the best medical attention, so they go to cheap clinics with unqualified doctors who use them as experiment...they die.
Ignorance also is another cause of death. Ignorance when it comes to health is not synonymous with rich people. Poor people get bitten by an animal, insect, or have an open wound, they ignore it till it kills them or leads to something that kills them eventually.
What other cause of death should be in the top five of causes of death in Africa?
Please share your thoughts.
