Diphtheria cases rising among asylum seekers

The fig of cases of diphtheria among asylum seekers who person precocious arrived successful the UK has risen to much than 50, the BBC understands.

It comes aft it was confirmed that 1 migrant who died aft being held astatine Manston processing centre successful Kent had contracted the disease.

The antheral died successful infirmary connected 19 November aft entering the UK connected a tiny vessel 7 days earlier.

The Home Office said it takes the payment of those successful its attraction seriously.

This week, wellness officials are acceptable to corroborate determination person been much than 50 diphtheria cases among asylum seekers this year, the BBC understands.

In 2021, determination were 3 of the aforesaid strain, according to government data.

Diphtheria is simply a highly contagious corruption that affects the nose, pharynx and sometimes origin ulcers connected the skin.

According to the NHS website, it's dispersed by coughs and sneezes oregon done adjacent interaction with idiosyncratic who is infected, and successful superior cases tin beryllium fatal.

You tin besides get it by sharing items specified arsenic cups, cutlery, covering oregon bedding with an infected person.

Babies and children successful the UK are vaccinated against diphtheria, meaning cases are rare. However, the corruption is perchance unsafe to migrants who travel from countries wherever this is not the case.

The UK Health Security Agency (HSA) says it is not known if the much than 50 radical who person oregon person had diphtheria were infected astatine Manston. The assemblage said that cases person been rising amongst asylum seekers crossed Europe and immoderate radical reported symptoms earlier arriving, and truthful could person been infected successful their location country. However, the incubation play for the unwellness is betwixt 2 and 5 days, with a maximum of 10 days, truthful infections successful radical who were astatine Manston are apt to beryllium recent.

A post-mortem introspection is trying to find whether the antheral held astatine Manston died due to the fact that of his diphtheria infection.

According to a Home Office spokesperson, infirmary tests bespeak "diphtheria whitethorn beryllium the origin of the illness".

Initial tests were antagonistic and the Home Office said astatine the clip determination was "no grounds astatine this stage" that the idiosyncratic had died from an infectious disease. But a follow-up PCR trial for diphtheria has since produced a affirmative result.

Health officials person advised vaccines and antibiotics are offered to radical connected accomplishment astatine their caller accommodation, and adjacent contacts are identified.

The Manston centre was cleared of radical earlier this period aft reports of overcrowding and outbreaks of disease. There are concerns that radical who whitethorn person had diphtheria person been moved astir the country.

The Sunday Times reports that Jim McManus, president of the Association of Directors of Public Health, said this "had enactment asylum seekers and perchance edifice workers astatine avoidable and preventable risk"and had "created further and preventable burdens connected section wellness system".

He besides accused the Home Office of a "lack of co-ordination" that has "made the concern acold worse than it could be".

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat wellness spokesperson Daisy Cooper said the authorities should beryllium "ashamed" of what she called "callous complacency implicit the wellness and well-being of asylum seekers".

A Home Office spokesperson said: "We enactment intimately with a scope of partners wrong the assemblage including section authorities and wellness leads to marque definite accusation is shared successful a timely mode and that everyone leaving Manston is fixed entree to due treatment.

"As the UK Health Security Agency person made clear, the hazard of diphtheria to the nationalist is precise low, owed to precocious uptake of the diphtheria vaccine successful this state and due to the fact that the corruption is typically passed connected done adjacent prolonged interaction with a case.

"We instrumentality some the payment of those successful our attraction and our wider nationalist wellness responsibilities highly seriously. As such, we proceed to enactment intimately with the NHS and UKHSA to enactment the individuals affected and bounds the transmission of infection."

Dr Trish Mannes, UKHSA Director for the South East, added: "The hazard of diphtheria to the wider nationalist remains precise low, owed to precocious uptake of the diphtheria vaccine successful this country, and due to the fact that the corruption is typically passed connected done adjacent prolonged interaction with a case."

The Manston migrant processing installation is simply a erstwhile subject basal and is designed to clasp conscionable 1,600 people. But successful October determination were astir 4,000 migrants being held there.

More than 40,000 migrants person crossed the Channel connected tiny boats this year.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman told the Home Affairs Select Committee that the authorities had "failed to power our borders". She besides blamed migrants and radical smugglers for the chaos astatine Manston.