The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it was working with the Home Office to vaccinate migrants at the centre, after revealing on Friday that 39 cases of diphtheria had been identified in asylum seekers in England in 2022 by 10 November. The UKHSA warned that accommodation should be considered “high risk for infectious diseases”. The agency said that in many cases the disease had been contracted abroad and brought to the UK and stressed the need to take steps to “minimise the risk of further transmission”. Sky News has obtained public health documents which show growing concern about the spread of the disease in accommodation used to house asylum seekers. The memo, sent by the UKHSA to the Home Office and public health managers, says the risk to the general public is considered very low. It raises the risk of diseases such as diphtheria and scabies in processing centers and asylum-seeker accommodation, and says outbreaks could put a strain on local health services. “Many of the people passing through the Manston Immigration Center come from countries with disrupted health services, low vaccination rates and a high prevalence of infectious diseases,” the note said. “The extended journeys these people underwent and the use of shared facilities increased the risk of infections and outbreaks.” Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 1:49 Asylum seekers say rotten food is making them sick Overpopulation is blamed for the increase in cases Accommodation staff said: “We are seeing an increasing number of infections in people who have come to the UK to seek asylum. “Reasons for this include shared accommodation facilities and overcrowding, long journeys and poor conditions during travel, low vaccination coverage and higher rates of certain infections around the world.” Sky News understands there are concerns about possible outbreaks in Swindon, Sheffield, Kent, Birmingham, Hertfordshire and Greater Manchester. Vaccinations and antibiotics are recommended Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, the UKHSA’s deputy director of public health programmes, confirmed that work is continuing with the Home Office to develop vaccines and antibiotics in Manston. “The UKHSA is working closely with the Home Office at the Manston Reception Center where there have been some cases of diphtheria and other infections,” he said. “We recommend that diphtheria vaccination and antibiotics be offered to people at the center and all those who have recently progressed. “This is currently up and running and we are working with the Home Office and the NHS to make this happen.” Agreement on crossings from the channel? Meanwhile, a deal between the UK and France on Channel crossings is expected next week. The provisional total for arrivals for 2022 was 39,913 before the weekend, but more people arrived in the UK on Saturday for the first time this month after a spell of bad weather.
