Hospital doctors and researchers from France's public health research body (Inserm) and Université Paris Cité analysed trends among nearly 900 children hospitalised with scurvy in France over a nine-year period, until November 2023.

The study, published in the medical journal The Lancet, found the biggest increase in cases was among children aged four to 10, and largely those from low-income families.

"There would seem to be a link with poverty," said Ulrich Meinzer, the study’s coordinator and a paediatrician at Robert-Debré Hospital in Paris.

He underlined that 32.9 percent of the hospitalised children came from families receiving universal medical cover – an indicator of very low income.

"Nurses noted that some of the infected children had not eaten for several days," Meinzer told French news magazine Le Nouvel Obs.

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[–] schizo@forum.uncomfortable.business 39 points 6 months ago (10 children)

It makes a gross kind of sense: the foods with vitamin C are going to be fresh fruits and vegetables. Which are fairly expensive, relative to cheap processed food that doesn't happen to contain vitamin C.

So, this is about how poor people are getting a disease that's caused by not being able to buy what is somewhat more expensive foods and sounds properly peak capitalism to me.

[–] fishabel@discuss.online 3 points 6 months ago (5 children)

Put some vitamin c in the processed food ffs

[–] Canonical_Warlock@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Exactly! Vitamin C is dirt fucking cheap. It's even in fucking Mtn dew of all things. It is not hard to add vitamin C to various cheap foods and drinks.

[–] fishabel@discuss.online 2 points 6 months ago

Of all of the medical problems in the world, scurvy is something that should absolutely happen nowhere.

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