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Victorian diseases are reappearing in old London town.

10/28/2015

10 Comments

 
Cases of malnutrition and other “Victorian” diseases are soaring in England, malnutrition being the worst.

NHS statistics show over 7,300 people were admitted to hospital with a primary or secondary diagnosis of malnutrition between August 2014 and July this year, a rise of more than 50 per cent in just four years.

The Trussell Trust, which runs a nationwide network of foodbanks, reported tens of thousands of people have been going hungry, missing meals and cutting back on the quality of the food they buy.

The Malnutrition Task Force, and the charity Age UK, said the rise in hospital admissions for malnutrition was deeply distressing.

A spokesperson said, “Older people and professionals often incorrectly assume that losing weight and having a reduced appetite are just a normal part of ageing. Much malnutrition is preventable, so it is totally unacceptable that estimates suggest there are at least one million older people malnourished or at risk of malnourishment. Cuts to social care mean many older people are being left to cope on their own.”

Since 2010, cases of other diseases rife in the Victorian era including scurvy, scarlet fever, cholera and whooping cough have also increased, although cases of TB, measles, typhoid and rickets have fallen.
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And yet, parts of London have higher rates of tuberculosis than Rwanda or Iraq, according to a report by the London Assembly.

One in three boroughs in the capital suffer from high rates of TB, with more than 40 cases per 100,000 people. Prisoners, homeless people, substance abusers and migrants are particularly at risk, according to the report. Source: The Independent.

My husband and I are facing money worries as we age. While we were working, we ate well. Now, we cut costs wherever we can just to scrape together a nutritious meal.

General price rises apply to everything—food, power, heat and rent to name a few.

Most elderly English people have paid into the national pension fund through their wages for their whole life, expecting to live well after they retire. But costs are rising and the rate of the Government pension is not in line with everything else. Even my service provider is charging me extra for basic broadband, and now bills me, if I use more than the allowable quota, for any pictures I download to use for this blog.

So, I'm cutting costs today—hence no illustration. I'll paint a word picture instead. Envisage hospital waiting rooms. Under bright lights, skinny old men and women are seated in rows of chairs with hopeless expressions on their wizened faces.
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Do you know somebody who might be at risk of malnutrition?
10 Comments
Alana link
10/28/2015 03:16:23 am

I work in a downtown area with a lot of poor people. There is no supermarket nearby in walking distance. What we have are "dollar stores", crammed full of chips, pretzels, salty canned meat, and soda. No fresh fruits or vegetables. No fresh meat. But you can easily buy a pack of cigarettes. Malnutrition and health problems waiting to happen.

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Nabanita link
10/28/2015 07:25:45 am

This makes me worry about how much I need to save...How much will be enough considering the prices will just keep rising!

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Sojourner link
10/28/2015 07:58:03 am

This is really sad. I know TB cases are quite high in New York City as well.

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Salma link
10/28/2015 10:51:47 am

I guess I am lucky that I don't know any one personally who is suffering form that but it's a very sad epidemic.

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Cindy Buccieri link
10/28/2015 11:29:29 am

Oh my gosh! This is unbelievable.

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Bonnie Gean link
10/28/2015 11:44:13 am

Hi Francene,

I don't know anyone who suffers from malnutrition, but I can agree that rising costs are doing an injustice to the people of our world. I constantly worry that when it comes time to retire, we'll be scrimping and saving to have a nutritious meal. That's a terrible thought to have at such an early age (we're only in our early fifties.)

Be well, my friend.

- Bonnie

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Emily Stoik link
10/28/2015 11:46:10 am

oh wow this is why I'm so grateful to have access to nutrient, dense, whole-food nutrition to stay as healthy as possible.

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Kathy29156 link
10/28/2015 12:03:49 pm

So sad that problems like this still exist today in a world so full of things and food.

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K.Lee Banks link
10/28/2015 02:41:42 pm

How odd something like this would be recurring in this day and age. I wonder if there's a connection in some of the statistics between malnourishment, and bulimia / anorexia.

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Roy A. Ackerman, PhD, EA link
10/29/2015 04:15:10 am

Malnutrition is an issue that is associated with homelessness. And, as you state, many aging folks cut back on what they buy (due to funds shortage)- but they also have lost their appetite. Given that our governments have decided to cut back on social programs, it is not surprising that the aging lack the support necessary to maintain adequate nutrition= let alone society's efforts to deal with the homeless.
This has to stop.

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    Francene Stanley
    From England, I use news items in my novels which you can see below, all linked to an Amazon near you.

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