The quantity of instances of diphtheria among asylum seekers who have recently arrived in the UK has risen to more than 50, the BBC understands.
It comes after it was confirmed that one migrant who died after being held at Manston processing centre in Kent had. contracted the disease
The. man died in hospital on 19 November after getting into the UK on a small boat seven days earlier
The. Home Office reported it takes the welfare of these in its care severely.
This week, healthiness officers are set to verify there have been more than 50 diphtheria instances among asylum seekers this year, the BBC understands.
In 2021, there were three of the same strain, in accordance to government. data
Diphtheria. is a highly contagious infection that impacts the nose, throat and often times cause ulcers on the skin.
According to the NHS. website, it’s spread by coughs and sneezes or by means of shut contact with a person who is infected, and in serious instances can be fatal
You. can also get it by sharing objects such as cups, cutlery, clothing or bedding with an contaminated person
Babies. and kids in the UK are vaccinated towards diphtheria, meaning instances are rare. However, the infection is potentially risky to migrants who come from countries the place this is not the case
The. UK Health Security Agency (HSA) says it is not identified if the more than 50 individuals who have or have had diphtheria were contaminated at Manston. The physique reported that instances have been rising amongst asylum seekers throughout Europe and some individuals reported symptoms before arriving, and so could have been contaminated in their residence country. However, the incubation interval for the health problem is between two and 5 days, with a maximum of 10 days, so infections in individuals who were at Manston are likely to be recent.
A autopsy examination is attempting to figure out no matter if the man held at Manston died because of his diphtheria infection.
According to a Home Office spokesperson, hospital assessments indicate “diphtheria might be the cause of the illness”
Initial. assessments were unfavourable and the Home Office reported at the time there was “no facts at this stage” that the individual had died from an infectious illness. But a follow-up PCR scan for diphtheria has since produced a confident end result.
Health officers have advised vaccines and antibiotics are offered to individuals on arrival at their new accommodation, and shut contacts are identified
The. Manston centre was cleared of individuals earlier this month after studies of overcrowding and outbreaks of illness. There are concerns that individuals who might have had diphtheria have been moved around the country
He. also accused the Home Office of a “lack of co-ordination” that has “made the situation far worse than it could be”
Meanwhile,. Liberal Democrat healthiness spokesperson Daisy Cooper reported the authorities ought to be “ashamed” of what she called “callous complacency over the healthiness and well-being of asylum seekers”
A. Home Office spokesperson said: “We work carefully with a variety of partners inside the group together with local authorities and healthiness leads to make definite information is shared in a timely method and that everyone leaving Manston is given access to appropriate treatment
“As. the UK Health Security Agency have made clear, the risk of diphtheria to the public is very low, due to high uptake of the diphtheria vaccine in this country and because the infection is characteristically passed on by means of shut prolonged contact with a case.
“We take the two the welfare of these in our care and our wider public healthiness duties really severely. As such, we proceed to work carefully with the NHS and UKHSA to help the people affected and limit the transmission of infection”.
Dr Trish Mannes, UKHSA Director for the South East, added: “The risk of diphtheria to the wider public remains very low, due to high uptake of the diphtheria vaccine in this country, and because the infection is characteristically passed on by means of shut prolonged contact with a case”
The. Manston migrant processing facility is a former army base and is designed to carry just 1,600 individuals. But in October there were around 4,000 migrants being held there.
More than 40,000 migrants have crossed the Channel on small boats this year
Home. Secretary Suella Braverman told. the Home Affairs Select Committee that the authorities had “failed to control our borders”. She also blamed migrants and individuals smugglers for the chaos at Manston
