London suffering from shocking rise in rare 'Victorian' diseases

The Evening Standard (U.K.) / various ^ | April 15, 2009 | Joe Murphy,

[Stoat]

London suffering from shocking rise in rare 'Victorian' diseases

Joe Murphy, Political Editor
15.04.09

 

London is in the grip of a startling rise in diseases associated with Victorian times, figures disclose today.

Rare infectious illnesses including typhoid, whooping cough and scarlet fever have soared by 166 per cent in the past two years.

Infection rates in the capital are markedly higher than the national averages, warned Justine Greening, the shadow minister for London who assembled the figures.

They include a staggering 214 per cent increase in cases of mumps - up from 125 in 2007 to 393 last year. The disease is easily prevented with vaccine. The rise could be a result of parents shunning the MMR jab after now debunked claims in 2001 that it might be linked to autism. Mumps in adults can lead to hearing loss and damage the nervous system.

Whooping cough cases quadrupled in the five years to 2007, from 63 to 252. The disease is highly contagious, with infections often lasting months. Symptoms include choking spells and vomiting and can cause death, especially in young infants.

Cases of scarlet fever, which causes high fevers, rashes, and even severe damage to internal organs, are up 153 per cent since 2005, with 501 infected in London last year.

Typhoid, associated with poor sanitation and hygiene, has risen steadily since 2004, from 45 to 127 cases per year.

The Conservatives claimed the Government was partly to blame for failing to invest enough in public health and to appoint school nurses.

Ms Greening, the Putney MP, said: "The rise of these highly-infectious and potentially fatal diseases in our city is truly alarming.

"The Government must do more to ensure the public health of Londoners."

[Stoat]

Although the article omits mentioning immigration rates as a possible cause, many posters at both the Evening Standard and the Daily Mail sites believe it to be at least partially if not wholly responsible

London suffering from shocking rise in rare 'Dickensian' diseases Mail Online

 

Back to the Victorians: Rare infectious diseases are on the rise in London, with the Tories blaming poor investment in healthcare

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It may interest readers that during the height of the hippie 'commune' fad in the 1960's, a number of odd diseases came to the attention of healthcare providers which initially had many doctors baffled.  It wasn't until some historical research was done that a correlation was found.  Many of these 'new' diseases weren't new at all, but simply hadn't been dealt with since the Middle Ages.  It seems that in many cases, it was the lack of modern sanitary conditions in the Middle ages which caused many of them but they disappeared when the concept of hygiene became accepted, only to resurface again in the hippie communes of the 1960's because the hygienic conditions were so deplorable.

By saying this I don't mean to imply that hygiene is the root cause of the situation being discussed in the article, merely as a reminder that ancient diseases can sometimes return, due to any variety of reasons.

[anniegetyourgun]

pestilence

[Frantzie]

Open borders cause this and National Health has not helped. They have “asylum seekers” (illegal aliens wanting to get on the dole) from all over especially the middle east and africa.

[Abathar]

Better immigration policy can change those numbers, look at the US and our own numbers of tuberculosis cases when you factor in the illegal immigrants from Mexico.

[exist]

Hopefully this is accompanied by them Victorian dresses that emphasize the breast area.

[DoughtyOne]

diversity

sing it from the hilltops brothers and sisters

it’s the new religion

For the record, diversity is fine when not taken to the extremes it has been today.

Good luck Londonistan.

[anniegetyourgun]

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/04/prweb2322084.htm

[driftdiver]

Another side benefit of socialized medicine.

[Mashood]

Must be all the tourists from Utah.

[Perdogg]

It might be because they don’t have enough lettus pickers in England. /sarc

[a fool in paradise]

Polio is making a comeback here I heard...

[BenLurkin]

omits mentioning immigration rates as a possible cause

What else could it be?

[anniegetyourgun]

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,27574,25336474-2682,00.html

[LibLieSlayer]

muzzies leaving their 10th Century countries to infiltrate Britain and bringing with them their 10th Century evil and diseases.

LLS

[fishtank]

No surprise to TSN.

[OldMissileer]

Wow! Ya think maybe they may finally come to the correct conclusion that letting in all the third world flotsam without making them go through proper, or old-style, customs procedures may have been the causal factor?

Na, they don't want to admit they have their collective heads up their a**es over in Britain and even here too.

[george123]

What you get when you allow 16th century middle east muslims into your country.

[LottieDah]

Don’t they vaccinate children in London anymore?

[doodad]

Kind of like TB rates here thanks to unchecked criminal infiltration.