LONDON (AP) — British health authorities have recorded 50 cases of diphtheria this 12 months amongst recently arrived asylum seekers, including one man who died after falling sick at a crowded migrant center.
The U.K. Health Protection Agency said Monday that the infected people likely caught the disease of their countries of origin or during their journeys to the U.K. It said an analogous increase had been seen elsewhere in Europe.
In 2021 there have been 11 cases within the U.K., where most individuals are vaccinated against diphtheria in childhood. The infection affects the nose, throat and sometimes skin and may be fatal if not treated quickly.
The outbreak comes amid criticism of the federal government over accommodation conditions for individuals who arrive within the U.K. across the English Channel in small boats. Many have been held for days or even weeks at Manston, a disused airport in southeast England serving as a processing center. At one point last month greater than 4,000 people were staying at the ability, designed to carry a maximum of 1,600.
Earlier this month a person staying at Manston became sick and later died in hospital. A PCR test for diphtheria was positive, though immigration minister Robert Jenrick said authorities were awaiting post-mortem results to find out the reason for death.
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Hundreds of migrants from around the globe travel to northern France annually in hopes of crossing the Channel to Britain. There was a pointy increase within the number of individuals attempting the journey in dinghies and other small craft as authorities have clamped down on other routes corresponding to stowing away on buses or trucks.
Greater than 40,000 people have arrived up to now this 12 months in Britain after making the hazardous Channel trip, up from 28,000 in all of 2021 and eight,500 in 2020.
In an try to deter the crossings, Britain’s government has announced a controversial plan to place individuals who arrive in small boats on a one-way flight to Rwanda in a bid to interrupt the business model of smuggling gangs.
Critics say the plan is immoral and impractical. It’s being challenged within the courts.
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