LONDON — The number of cases 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 center in Kent had contracted the disease.

The man died in hospital on Nov. 19 after entering the UK on a small boat seven days earlier.

The Home Office said it takes the welfare of those in its care seriously.

This week, health officials are set to confirm there have been more than 50 diphtheria cases among asylum seekers this year, the BBC understands.

In 2021, there were three of the same strain, according to government data.

Diphtheria is a highly contagious infection that affects the nose, throat and sometimes cause ulcers on the skin.

According to the NHS website, it’s spread by coughs and sneezes or through close contact with someone who is infected, and in serious cases can be fatal.

You can also get it by sharing items such as cups, cutlery, clothing or bedding with an infected person.

Babies and children in the UK are vaccinated against diphtheria, meaning cases are rare. However, the infection is potentially dangerous to migrants who come from countries where this is not the case.

The UK Health Security Agency (HSA) said it is not known if the more than 50 people who have or have had diphtheria were infected at Manston.

The body said that cases have been rising amongst asylum seekers across Europe and some people reported symptoms before arriving, and so could have been infected in their home country.

However, the incubation period for the illness is between two and five days, with a maximum of 10 days, so infections in people who were at Manston are likely to be recent.

A post-mortem examination is trying to determine whether the man held at Manston died because of his diphtheria infection.

According to a Home Office spokesperson, hospital tests indicate “diphtheria may be the cause of the illness”.

Initial tests were negative and the Home Office said at the time there was “no evidence at this stage” that the person had died from an infectious disease.

But a follow-up PCR test for diphtheria has since produced a positive result.

Health officials have advised vaccines and antibiotics are offered to people on arrival at their new accommodation, and close contacts are identified.

The Manston center was cleared of people earlier this month after reports of overcrowding and outbreaks of disease. There are concerns that people who may have had diphtheria have been moved around the country.

The Sunday Times reports that Jim McManus, president of the Association of Directors of Public Health, said this “had put asylum seekers and potentially hotel workers at avoidable and preventable risk” and had “created additional and preventable burdens on local health system”.

He also accused the Home Office of a “lack of coordination” that has “made the situation far worse than it could be”.

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Daisy Cooper said the government should be “ashamed” of what she called “callous complacency over the health and well-being of asylum seekers”.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We work closely with a range of partners within the community including local authorities and health leads to make sure information is shared in a timely way 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 typically passed on through close prolonged contact with a case.

“We take both the welfare of those in our care and our wider public health responsibilities extremely seriously. As such, we continue to work closely with the NHS and UKHSA to support the individuals affected and limit the transmission of infection.”

The Manston migrant processing facility is a former military base and is designed to hold just 1,600 people. 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 government had “failed to control our borders”. She also blamed migrants and people smugglers for the chaos at Manston. — BBC