Cases of diphtheria are on the rise amongst asylum seekers in the UK, it's been reported. It comes as the Home Office said the death of a man held at the Manston processing centre in Kent may have been from an infection of the bacteria.
Officials are expected to confirm on Monday (November 27) that the number of infections has risen to about 50. Concerns have been raised about the spread of the disease as migrants were moved from the Thanet facility to hotels around the country.
The Government said on Saturday that a PCR test on the man who died after being held, possibly unlawfully, at the centre for a week indicates that “diphtheria may be the cause of the illness”. Diphtheria is rare in the UK because babies and children have been routinely vaccinated against it since the 1940s.
