Health experts have warned of the return of Victorian scourges such as rickets and stunted growth due to child food poverty and malnutrition.
Dr Ellie Cannon, a GP in South Hampstead, posted a tweet revealing how doctors have to ask patients if they can afford to eat when they come to the surgery complaining of fatigue or unexplained illness.
It went viral and was addressed in a food poverty debate in the House of Commons. Now she has told how in recent years doctors have seen a resurgence in rickets – a disease usually caused by lack of vitamin D or calcium in a child’s diet. It causes bones to become soft and weak, and can lead to deformities as well as pain, fragile bones, tooth decay and poor growth.
Meanwhile, the number of children suffering debilitating fatigue has risen, Dr Cannon said. “We have an option to prescribe food through the NHS – that is how bad the situation is. I work on a social housing estate. I have patients who use a food bank. The family who prompted the tweet was a family where a mother drank tea all day in order to feed her kids. We see children who are not growing to their potential.
“It is a sad state of affairs in 2017, especially when we see trends show wealthy children are getting stronger.”
Food poverty ‘sparks return of Victorian diseases in Britain’
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