Sudden unexplained death in childhood debated in Parliament

The issue of children dying unexpectedly and without any known cause has been debated in Parliament for the first time.

Sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC) is a rare category of death in which the cause remains unknown even after thorough investigation.

Former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, who led the debate, said SUDC had not had the attention it deserved.

In his first speech as a backbencher for six years, he said it was important to not shy away from discussing "something that is incredibly difficult to deal with, emotionally very taxing, and one of the most serious medical phenomena".

He said: "Imagine a death of a child, who has all his or her life in front of them, suddenly ended. If you can imagine that and if you can imagine that for one of your own children you can get a sense of how tragic and how difficult that occurrence is."

He added: "It's such an uncomfortable issue but it is important to grasp uncomfortable issues to honour those who had died and prevent future deaths."

He added: "It's such an uncomfortable issue but it is important to grasp uncomfortable issues to honour those who had died and prevent future deaths."

The MPs were united in their call for more research to be carried out. They also called for the NHS website to be updated to include information about SUDC and for there to be more training for medical practitioners.

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Source: BBC News, 17 January 2023