Illnesses such as tuberculosis, rickets and gout may summon visions of filthy street urchins and extravagant Victorian poets, but doctors are warning that old-fashioned afflictions such as these may be making a comeback.
Recent research has shown that there are a number of conditions associated with a bygone age that are reappearing and even flourishing in 21st century Britain.
The primary causes have not changed much since Charles Dickens wrote about the sufferings of the poor over 150 years ago, but new factors have emerged, such as immigration, rising obesity rates and the decision of some parents not to give their children the controversial measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
We bring you the latest on the Victorian diseases that, despite a century of medical breakthroughs, just refuse to go away.
Consumption
Tuberculosis (TB), also referred to as consumption, is a disease of the lungs which causes fever, weight loss, chronic coughing, fatigue and sweating. TB was rampant in the 19th century; almost 25% of deaths were caused by the disease and urban inhabitants lived in fear of developing the tell-tale symptoms.
Why is it coming back?
Effective antibiotics and a national screening programme (remember your BCG jab at school?) all but eradicated TB in this country, but now cases are on the rise. In 2000, 6,323 cases were reported in Britain, but by 2006 the number had increased to 8,113 and experts say that figure has risen again by 10% in the last year. Worldwide, there are now more people with TB than there were in 1950.
Experts say that immigration is partly to blame; infection rates are highest among arrivals from Africa where the disease is common, but low standards of living and poverty also contribute.
What can you do to avoid it?
The national BCG programme has been stopped, but children living in high risk areas can still receive the vaccine. If you are travelling to a country with high rates of the disease, make sure you get vaccinated before you go. Exercise lots, eat a healthy diet and see a doctor if you have a cough for longer than three weeks.
Rickets
What is it?
Common in Victorian Britain, rickets affected children who suffered from a lack of vitamin D, which is needed to maintain healthy bones and joints and is absorbed into the body through food such as oily fish and through the skin via sunlight. The deficiency causes aches and pains in the bones and joints and leaves sufferers with bow legs.
Why is it coming back?
Once again, we really thought we had the better of rickets in this country, but recent research suggests otherwise. Studies carried out in Birmingham and Bradford found that the condition is returning at an alarming rate, particularly in cities and built-up areas.
Researchers at Birmingham Children’s Hospital found dozens of victims under the age of five in one short period. Meanwhile, children under the age of two in Bradford are now given a free vitamin D supplement after a study discovered that 300 youngsters in the city were deficient in the nutrient.
Most UK sufferers are from black or Asian families as dark skin is more resistant to sunlight.
What can you do to avoid it?
Eat plenty of dairy, oily fish and get lots of sun.
Gout
(Image © Rex Features)
What is it?
Unlike most Victorian afflictions, gout did not traditionally target the poor. The disease was instead most commonly associated with the wealthy population, who could afford to overindulge in wine and rich food. Gout is caused by a build up of uric acid on the joints and tissue, causing them to swell and become painful, most commonly in the big toe and lower limbs.
Why is it coming back?
Gout is no longer the ‘Affliction of kings’. The obesity epidemic has brought it to the masses, with around 250,000 people in the UK suffering from the condition. Diets high in red meat and binge drinking have led to the spread of gout, yet the vast majority of people are unaware that the condition still exists, or that they might have it.
What can you do to avoid it?
Don’t drink too much alcohol and cut down on rich food such as red meat. US and Canadian researchers also found that two or more fizzy drinks a day can significantly raise the risk of developing gout, so lay off these as well.
Measles
What is it?
Measles is one of the most contagious and lethal children’s diseases and claimed countless lives in the Victorian era due to cramped housing. Fever, coughing and rash would often lead to complications resulting in death.
Why is it coming back?
Numerous outbreaks, most recently in South London where 500 people, mostly children, caught the disease, suggest that earlier predictions by doctors have come true: measles is back.
This is largely down to parents choosing not to give their children the MMR jab. Ideally, 90% of children need to be given the injection to prevent the disease spreading, but in some areas numbers fall way short of this figure.
What can you do to avoid it?
Easy – get your child immunised.
Mumps
(Image © Rex Features)
What is it?
Another common childhood illness, mumps spreads via airborne droplets from the nose or mouth. Even though it is not as contagious as measles, the condition killed many living in, once again, cramped conditions.
Why is it coming back?
Again, the disease has returned because of the rebellion against the MMR jab, but mumps also spread easily amongst students who were too old to benefit from the immunisation programme. For example, there were more than 3,000 cases of mumps in Wales in 2005. In 2001 there were just 72. This rise mirrors what is happening across the UK.
What can you do to avoid it?
You don’t have to be a child to get the MMR jab – the Welsh assembly has urged people aged 11-25 to receive the vaccine.
Syphilis
What is it?
If you believe US researchers, then you can blame Christopher Columbus for bringing syphilis to Europe. But whatever its origins, syphilis hasn’t gone away. The condition, which spread like wildfire in the Victorian era, is transmitted sexually or from mother to child and the condition can lead to flu-like symptoms, followed eventually by insanity, heart problems and possibly death.
Why is it coming back?
Just a decade ago syphilis was practically non-existent in this country, but since then numbers have increased alarmingly. The number of men with the condition has gone up by more than 2000%, while for women the figure is 870%. The reason? Unprotected sex.
READ MORE ON MSN UK
Recent research has shown that there are a number of conditions associated with a bygone age that are reappearing and even flourishing in 21st century Britain.
The primary causes have not changed much since Charles Dickens wrote about the sufferings of the poor over 150 years ago, but new factors have emerged, such as immigration, rising obesity rates and the decision of some parents not to give their children the controversial measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
We bring you the latest on the Victorian diseases that, despite a century of medical breakthroughs, just refuse to go away.
Consumption
Tuberculosis (TB), also referred to as consumption, is a disease of the lungs which causes fever, weight loss, chronic coughing, fatigue and sweating. TB was rampant in the 19th century; almost 25% of deaths were caused by the disease and urban inhabitants lived in fear of developing the tell-tale symptoms.
Why is it coming back?
Effective antibiotics and a national screening programme (remember your BCG jab at school?) all but eradicated TB in this country, but now cases are on the rise. In 2000, 6,323 cases were reported in Britain, but by 2006 the number had increased to 8,113 and experts say that figure has risen again by 10% in the last year. Worldwide, there are now more people with TB than there were in 1950.
Experts say that immigration is partly to blame; infection rates are highest among arrivals from Africa where the disease is common, but low standards of living and poverty also contribute.
What can you do to avoid it?
The national BCG programme has been stopped, but children living in high risk areas can still receive the vaccine. If you are travelling to a country with high rates of the disease, make sure you get vaccinated before you go. Exercise lots, eat a healthy diet and see a doctor if you have a cough for longer than three weeks.
Rickets
What is it?
Common in Victorian Britain, rickets affected children who suffered from a lack of vitamin D, which is needed to maintain healthy bones and joints and is absorbed into the body through food such as oily fish and through the skin via sunlight. The deficiency causes aches and pains in the bones and joints and leaves sufferers with bow legs.
Why is it coming back?
Once again, we really thought we had the better of rickets in this country, but recent research suggests otherwise. Studies carried out in Birmingham and Bradford found that the condition is returning at an alarming rate, particularly in cities and built-up areas.
Researchers at Birmingham Children’s Hospital found dozens of victims under the age of five in one short period. Meanwhile, children under the age of two in Bradford are now given a free vitamin D supplement after a study discovered that 300 youngsters in the city were deficient in the nutrient.
Most UK sufferers are from black or Asian families as dark skin is more resistant to sunlight.
What can you do to avoid it?
Eat plenty of dairy, oily fish and get lots of sun.
Gout
(Image © Rex Features)
What is it?
Unlike most Victorian afflictions, gout did not traditionally target the poor. The disease was instead most commonly associated with the wealthy population, who could afford to overindulge in wine and rich food. Gout is caused by a build up of uric acid on the joints and tissue, causing them to swell and become painful, most commonly in the big toe and lower limbs.
Why is it coming back?
Gout is no longer the ‘Affliction of kings’. The obesity epidemic has brought it to the masses, with around 250,000 people in the UK suffering from the condition. Diets high in red meat and binge drinking have led to the spread of gout, yet the vast majority of people are unaware that the condition still exists, or that they might have it.
What can you do to avoid it?
Don’t drink too much alcohol and cut down on rich food such as red meat. US and Canadian researchers also found that two or more fizzy drinks a day can significantly raise the risk of developing gout, so lay off these as well.
Measles
What is it?
Measles is one of the most contagious and lethal children’s diseases and claimed countless lives in the Victorian era due to cramped housing. Fever, coughing and rash would often lead to complications resulting in death.
Why is it coming back?
Numerous outbreaks, most recently in South London where 500 people, mostly children, caught the disease, suggest that earlier predictions by doctors have come true: measles is back.
This is largely down to parents choosing not to give their children the MMR jab. Ideally, 90% of children need to be given the injection to prevent the disease spreading, but in some areas numbers fall way short of this figure.
What can you do to avoid it?
Easy – get your child immunised.
Mumps
(Image © Rex Features)
What is it?
Another common childhood illness, mumps spreads via airborne droplets from the nose or mouth. Even though it is not as contagious as measles, the condition killed many living in, once again, cramped conditions.
Why is it coming back?
Again, the disease has returned because of the rebellion against the MMR jab, but mumps also spread easily amongst students who were too old to benefit from the immunisation programme. For example, there were more than 3,000 cases of mumps in Wales in 2005. In 2001 there were just 72. This rise mirrors what is happening across the UK.
What can you do to avoid it?
You don’t have to be a child to get the MMR jab – the Welsh assembly has urged people aged 11-25 to receive the vaccine.
Syphilis
What is it?
If you believe US researchers, then you can blame Christopher Columbus for bringing syphilis to Europe. But whatever its origins, syphilis hasn’t gone away. The condition, which spread like wildfire in the Victorian era, is transmitted sexually or from mother to child and the condition can lead to flu-like symptoms, followed eventually by insanity, heart problems and possibly death.
Why is it coming back?
Just a decade ago syphilis was practically non-existent in this country, but since then numbers have increased alarmingly. The number of men with the condition has gone up by more than 2000%, while for women the figure is 870%. The reason? Unprotected sex.
READ MORE ON MSN UK
