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Poorer children hit hardest as scurvy makes a comeback in France (www.rfi.fr)

submitted 4 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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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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[–] homesweethomeMrL 59 points 4 days ago (1 children)

SCURVY?!

What the actual fuck

[–] [email protected] 39 points 4 days ago (2 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.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 4 days ago

Ascorbic acid aka Vitamin C is used in a lot of processed foods as an antioxidant. Just read the ingredients lists of a bunch of processed foods in your household and you will likely find it there.

[–] homesweethomeMrL 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Yeah it’s very fucked up.

[–] Whats_your_reasoning 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It’s really weird what things people choose to downvote here. You didn’t even say anything controversial (except a swear. How dare you.)

[–] homesweethomeMrL 2 points 3 days ago

Mea culpa. I get at least one downvote all the time it seems. Probably a fan.