Scurvy, a disease caused by severe vitamin C deficiency, is making a comeback in France. A new study links its resurgence, particularly among young children from low-income families, to rising food insecurity and inflation since the Covid pandemic.
Scurvy is caused by a lack of vitamin C, found in fruit such as oranges and some leafy green vegetables.
© Anastasiia Krivenok / Getty Images
By: RFI
02/01/2025
Scurvy is caused by a severe deficiency in vitamin C – most commonly found in citrus fruits and leafy green vegetables. The disease causes bone pain, fatigue and bleeding gums and, in very rare cases, death.
It was known as "sailor's disease" as it was rife on board ships in the 16th to 19th centuries, when sailors were deprived of fresh fruit and vegetables for months on end.
While improved nutrition has made scurvy virtually extinct in high-income countries, new research has shown a resurgence in France, particularly among young children from low-income families.
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.
Post-pandemic inflation
While the increase in the number of cases remained relatively slow until 2019, researchers noted a "significant" increase – 34.5 percent – in hospital admissions since March 2020, coinciding with the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"The post-pandemic period has intensified vulnerabilities in food security, driven by lasting effects of Covid-19 and major socio-geopolitical conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine," the report reads. "In France, this led to increased reliance on public and voluntary food aid."
The study noted that food inflation in France had reached 15 percent in January 2023, more than double the overall inflation rate, and found that the "significant increase in scurvy and severe malnutrition among children [is] linked to the escalation of food prices".
The recent increase in cases also reflects the challenges in accessing nutritious food and an increase in cheaper, highly processed foods.
“Poorer families cannot, or can no longer, afford to buy products that provide enough vitamin C, such as vegetables or fruit,” Meinzer said.
'Public health issue'
Combatting the resurgence of scurvy means ensuring that children have a balanced diet “starting with fresh food and cooking it gently," Meinzer noted.
The report said its findings underscored a "critical need to intensify food and social assistance programmes" to reduce malnutrition and food insecurity.
It recommended conducting similar studies in other high-income countries to provide a better overview of the problem, improved clinical training to ensure early detection of scurvy, and proactive screening of at-risk populations.
"It's [unthinkable] that children in France don't have enough to eat, it's a public health issue," Meinzer said, adding that he was hopeful health professionals, social workers and politicians could work together on finding solutions since "there is a consensus in our society where children are concerned".
This article was adapted from the original in French
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