UK to Vaccinate Newly Arrived Illegal Immigrants Against Diphtheria After 1 Death Reported

Accommodation buildings, seen through a barrier, at the illegal immigrant processing centre in Manston, Kent, England, on Nov. 9, 2022. (Chris Summers/The Epoch Times)

The UK government has said it will offer vaccinations against diphtheria to all newly arrived illegal immigrants at the Manston processing centre in Kent, after confirming a detainee who died last week had tested positive for the illness.

The Home Office said the man—who had reportedly arrived in the UK on Nov. 12 after crossing the English Channel illegally on a small boat—died in the hospital on Nov. 19 after “becoming unwell” in the temporary holding facility for illegal immigrants.

The Home Office initially said there was “no evidence at this stage to suggest that this tragic death was caused by an infectious disease.” But the government has now confirmed that the man had tested positive for diphtheria, a highly contagious infection affecting the nose, throat, and sometimes skin.

A government spokeswoman said on Nov. 26: “Our thoughts remain with the family of the man who has died and all those affected by this loss.

“Initial test results processed by a local hospital for an infectious disease were negative, but a follow-up PCR test was positive, indicating that diphtheria may be the cause of the illness. The coroner will conclude in due course.

“We take the safety and welfare of those in our care extremely seriously and are taking all of the necessary steps following these results.”

Diphtheria vaccinations will be offered to any new arrivals at Manston, the spokeswoman said, though the facility is understood to be currently empty.

Detainees inside the Manston short-term holding centre for illegal immigrants wave to members of the media outside, near Ramsgate, Kent, southeast England, on Nov. 3, 2022. (Daniel Leal /AFP via Getty Images)

Risk of Spread

The Manston holding centre has made headlines over the past few weeks, with pro-immigration campaigners threatening legal action against UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman over conditions at the facility.

Illegal immigrants are meant to be at Manston for only short periods of time before being moved to the Home Office’s asylum accommodation, but some people have been held for longer periods due to a lack of alternative accommodation.

At one point, as many as 4,000 people were being detained at the site, which is designed to hold just 1,600.

Public health experts have raised concerns about the spread of the disease as people were moved from the facility to hotels.

“This situation could and should have been prevented and it is entirely arguable that the lack of information, co-ordination and engagement from the Home Office has made the situation far worse than it could have been,” said Jim McManus, president of the Association of Directors of Public Health, according to The Sunday Times.

“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. We offered the Home Office collaboration and our efforts were rebuffed.”

Where Were They Infected?

Liberal Democrat health spokeswoman Daisy Cooper said the Home Secretary “must take responsibility and resign immediately.”

“The UK is better than this. The Conservative government should be ashamed of their callous complacency over the health and wellbeing of asylum seekers coming out of Manston,” she said.

But a Cabinet minister insisted that the illegal immigrants had contracted the disease before arriving in the UK.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper told Sky News on Nov. 27: “We take the welfare of people in our care very seriously. My understanding is those cases were people who had that disease before they came to the United Kingdom.”

He insisted the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is working “very closely” with the National Health Service “to make sure we look after the people who have been identified with diphtheria to make sure they get the treatment and the care they need.”

Preventing Further Spread

With illegal immigrants having been moved from Manston to hotels around the country, health officials are advising that vaccines and preventative courses of antibiotics are offered to people on arrival at their new accommodation.

The UKHSA warned that accommodation settings should be considered “high-risk for infectious diseases.”

As of Nov. 10, the UKHSA had identified 39 diphtheria cases in asylum seekers in England in 2022.

Dr. Trish Mannes, UKHSA director for the South East, said: “The risk of diphtheria to the wider public remains 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.

“In order to limit the risk of diphtheria being passed on within asylum seeker settings, UKHSA continues to recommend that individuals arriving at reception centres, and who have moved on recently, are offered a diphtheria vaccine and preventative treatment.”

The UK immigration system has been put under immense pressure as more than 40,000 illegal immigrants have crossed the English Channel to reach the UK this year.

According to figures from the Home Office, the number of illegal crossings has soared in recent years, with 28,526 people detected in 2021, compared to 8,466 in 2020, 1,843 in 2019, and 299 in 2018.

PA Media contributed to this report.