Posted by ‘Public health nightmare’ as 70 migrants with suspected diphtheria moved all around UK
Warnings about the disease come the day after a migrant who died is suspected to have had the dangerous disease.
14:54, Sun, Nov 27, 2022 | UPDATED: 15:21, Sun, Nov 27, 2022
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Over 70 migrants who are suspected to have diphtheria have been moved from the Manston processing centre to hotels all around the country. In 2020, there was only one confirmed case of the disease in Britain – but now public health officials are concerned that a failure to adequately test migrants before moving them on from the processing centre may put both asylum seekers and hotel workers “at risk”.
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The concerning stats come after a man who died after staying at the Manston processing centre was revealed to have diphtheria. The Manston processing facility has faced criticism for overcrowding. Despite having an official capacity of 1,600, it was holding over 4,000, swiftly becoming a breeding ground for diseases including scabies and diphtheria.
Since the beginning of 2022, there have been 50 confirmed cases among asylum seekers of diphtheria – a highly contagious bacterial infection that primarily affects the nose, throat and skin, and is deadly in between five and 10 percent of cases. Vaccination against diphtheria is routine in the UK and is part of the six-in-one childhood jab given to babies less than four months old.
Jim McManus, president of the Association of Directors of Public Health, which represents public health officials around the UK, said: “This situation could and should have been prevented and it is entirely arguable that the lack of information, coordination and engagement from the Home Office has made the situation far worse than it could have been.
“It has created additional and preventable burdens on local health systems and has put both asylum seekers and potentially hotel workers at avoidable and preventable risk. We want to work constructively and effectively as directors of public health with the government for the good of everybody.
Suella Braverman is facing mounting pressure following the outbreak (Image: Getty)
The government is facing a “public health nightmare”, officials have said (Image: Getty)
“We offered the Home Office collaboration and our efforts were rebuffed.”
The first signs of an outbreak of the disease was spotted when three male asylum seekers went to Pinderfields Hospital Accident and Emergency unit in Wakefield within a 24 hour period, complaining of rashes and asking for medication. Since then, it was discovered that 27 men had been moved into a local hotel, having just spent a month at Manston and another hotel near Heathrow.
Other areas with suspected cases include London, Greater Manchester, Kent, the South West and the East of England. The Home Office has been accused of failing to inform public health directors about the arrival of migrants in their area.
One local health director told the Times that in “most places”, migrants had been “dumped” in accommodation without communication from the Home Office. The director added: “We have found out by accident when local hospitals raise an issue or by word of mouth, in one case when a local councillor drove past a hotel. They have seeded a situation that could have been avoided.”
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