‘Dickensian diseases’: gout, whooping cough and scarlet fever on rise

‘Dickensian diseases’: gout, whooping cough and scarlet fever on rise There has been a sharp rise in hospital visits for diseases that were common during the Victorian era, such as scarlet fever, whooping cough and gout, research reveals.

Despite certain illnesses virtually being eradicated in the 1950s, hospital attendances for some “Victorian diseases” have risen by 52% since 2010-11, an increase of over 3,000 admissions a year.

The rise has been put down to sustained cuts to local authority public health budgets, which experts say have resulted in the services that protect against illness being scaled back. The Guardian