From scabies and syphilis to rickets – the grim Victorian diseases making a comeback

THEY are often thought to be consigned to the history books – but experts have warned a whole host of Victorian diseases are making a comeback.

Declining vaccination rates, the cost-of-living crisis, poor diets and malnutrition have all fed into the resurgence of the nasty bugs.

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NHS Digital data reveals that ‘Victorian diseases’ caused almost 50,000 hospitalisations between 2018-23.

And figures from this year are unlikely to be any different, according to experts.

Here, Sun Health looks at the Victorian disease – and those that date further back – rearing their ugly heads, and share all the signs you need to watch out for.

1. SCURVY

Scurvy, first reported in Ancient Greek and Egyptian times is making a comeback, doctors have warned.

It’s a condition caused by a lack of vitamin C found in fresh fruit and veg.

The condition is typically associated with sailors enduring long voyages during the Middle Ages.

But doctors in the journal BMJ Case Reports have suggested it’s now re-emerging.

Doctors say it’s “eminently” treatable, but because it’s a disease associated with the past, it could be mistaken for other conditions.

For example, it can be confused with inflamed blood vessels (vasculitis), putting people at risk of fatal bleeding if left untreated.

Signs can appear as early as a month after a daily intake of less than 10mg of vitamin C.

Dr Helen Wall, senior GP partner from the NHS Oaks Family Practice in Bolton, tells Sun Health: “Scurvy is caused by not having enough vitamin C in your diet over a long period of time.

“One of the key things that is unique to scurvy is developing red or blue spots on the skin, usually the legs and feet.”

According to the NHS, scurvy symptoms can include:

• Feeling very tired and weak all the time
• Feeling irritable and sad all the time
• Joint, muscle or leg pain
• Swollen, bleeding gums (sometimes teeth can fall out)
• Developing red or blue spots on the skin, usually on the legs and feet, although this may be less noticeable on brown or black skin
• Skin that bruises easily

2. RICKETS

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Rickets, once synonymous with poverty and poor diets, was diagnosed in 28,379 Brits from 2019 to 2023, according to an FOI to 78 hospital trusts by the Liberal Democrats.

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Trust, reported 580 cases in 2023, a 380 per cent increase on the 122 cases in 2019.

Rickets affects bone development in children, causing pain, stunted growth and soft, weak bones that can lead to deformities.

It is mostly caused by a lack of vitamin D, which is created by the body in response to sunlight but is also in foods such as fish (salmon, mackerel), red meat and egg yolks. 

Signs and symptoms of rickets can include:

• Delayed growth
• Delayed motor skills
• Pain in the spine, pelvis and legs
• Muscle weakness

Because rickets softens the areas of growing tissue at the ends of a child’s bones (growth plates), it can cause skeletal deformities such as:

• Bowed legs or knock knees
• Thickened wrists and ankles
• Breastbone projection

3. SCABIES

Meanwhile, the Royal College of General Practitioners has warned people not to ignore an itchy rash, which could be caused by the contagious skin condition scabies.

There are three cases in every 100,000 people living in England, according to the group, which is double the five-year seasonal average. 

The condition is caused by a mite that burrows into the skin to lay eggs.

A pharmacist can recommend a treatment but if the rash persists, see your GP.

Scabies are particularly difficult to get rid of and spread easily between people living together.

Deep cleaning of bedding, furniture and carpets is required.

The symptoms of scabies are:

• Intense itching, especially at night
• A raised rash or spots

4. TB

Tuberculosis is a bacterial bug that killed at least one in seven people in England at the beginning of the 19th century.

But a recent report released by the World Health Organisation warned that millions are still dying of the disease.

About 8.2 million people across the globe were diagnosed with TB in 2023.

According to the WHO, this is the highest number recorded since it began global TB monitoring in 1995.

New figures from the UKHSA in February showed an 11 per cent rise in TB cases in England in 2023, with 4,850 cases diagnosed.

Today, less than six per cent of those with TB die from the disease.

But it’s still a serious disease of the lungs that leaves people feeling exhausted, unwell and with a lack of appetite leading to weight loss.

Treatment is at least six months of antibiotics.

Symptoms of TB disease include:

• A chronic cough
• Fever
• Chills
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Fatigue
• Haemoptysis (coughing up blood from the lungs and bronchial tubes)

5. 100-DAY-COUGH

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Whooping cough used to affect tens of thousands of people before a vaccine was given routinely in the 1950s.

But the uptake of jabs, now offered to pregnant women to protect their unborn babies, has fallen in recent years.

More than 12,000 cases of whooping cough were confirmed in England in the first seven months of the year compared to 856 in the whole of 2023, and nine babies died.

The condition is nicknamed the ‘100-day cough’ because it can last so long.

The first symptoms are similar to a cold before severe coughing bouts kick in.

After about a week, you or your child:

• Will get coughing bouts that last for a few minutes and are worse at night
• May make a “whoop” sound – a gasp for breath between coughs (young babies and some adults may not “whoop”)
• May have difficulty breathing after a coughing bout and may turn blue or grey (young infants)
• May bring up a thick mucus, which can make you vomit
• May become very red in the face (more common in adults)

The cough may last for several weeks or months.

6. SCARLET FEVER

Another disease rife in the Victorian era was scarlet fever – and parents should still be wary today.

Anyone can catch the bug, but it most commonly affects children under the age of 10.

There was an unusual surge of cases in 2022/2023, along with Strep A and iGAS – all of which are caused by the same bacteria. 

There were almost 60,000 cases of scarlet fever and 516 deaths from iGAS, of which 61 were children, across the UK, more than double what is considered normal.

The signs typically include:

1. High temperature
2. Sore throat
3. Swollen neck glands
4. Rash 12-48 hours after initial symptoms. This usually starts on the tummy and then spreads
5. White coating on the tongue
6. Red cheeks

7. MEASLES

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There have been 2,601 cases of measles in England in 2024 so far, up 38 on this time last year.

While many of the other Victorian diseases have in fact always been present in the UK, measles was largely contained for years thanks to the MMR vaccine, which was introduced in 1988, despite millions of deaths worldwide every year.

But lower uptake in recent years means the deadly virus, mostly affecting children, has returned to levels above ‘elimination status’.

At the start of the school year, the UKHSA issued an urgent call to parents to ensure their children catch up on missed vaccinations after a surge in measles was seen in October 2023. 

The first signs of measles include:

• A high temperature
• A runny or blocked nose
• Sneezing
• A cough
• Red, sore, watery eyes

7. SYPHILIS

Syphilis is one of the oldest known sexually transmitted infections.

Once thought to be in decline, it is now resurging at an alarming rate.

In 2022, the UK saw syphilis cases reach their highest level since 1948.

And it is not something just happening in the UK. 

There were 7.1million new cases of syphilis globally in 2020 according to WHO data.

Previously, men who have sex with men have historically been most affected by syphilis.

But infections in heterosexual men and women have more than doubled since 2019, with congenital syphilis also on the rise.

Congenital syphilis is syphilis that occurs when a mother passes the infection to her baby during pregnancy or at birth.

This form of the disease can have devastating consequences including miscarriage, stillbirth, premature births, low birth weights and the death of a baby shortly after birth.

Symptoms of syphilis include:

• Small sores (ulcers) on your penis, vagina, or around your bottom (anus) – these are usually painless and you may only have one of them
• Sores in other areas, including in your mouth or on your lips, hands or bottom
• White or grey warty growths most commonly on your penis, vagina or around your anus
• A rash on the palms of your hands and soles of your feet that can sometimes spread all over your body – this is not usually itchy
• White patches in your mouth
• Flu-like symptoms, such as a high temperature, headaches and tiredness
• Swollen glands
• Patchy hair loss on the head, beard and eyebrows

It can take three weeks or more for the symptoms of syphilis to appear after you’re infected.

Sometimes the symptoms can improve or go away completely, but if you have not been treated the infection is still in your body.

This means you can still pass it on and you’re at risk of getting serious problems later on.

Potential complications include:

• Heart problems like angina, aortic aneurysm and heart failure
• Brain problems like fits (seizures), memory problems, personality changes and dementia
• Nerve problems like shooting pains, pins and needles, joint pain and gradual damage the joints
• Problems with the skin, bones, testicles, liver and any other organ