Fresh instances of diphtheria reported amongst asylum seekers, new figures present

Fresh instances of diphtheria have been reported amongst asylum seekers in England for the primary time since January, new figures present.

Three instances of the bacterial an infection have been reported in August, taking the entire variety of instances for 2023 to 77 – up from 74 beforehand. No additional instances have been recorded between February and July.

Diphtheria is a extremely contagious an infection brought on by micro organism referred to as Corynebacterium diphtheriae, which produces a toxin that makes folks in poor health.

The knowledge from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will pile additional stress on the federal government after it was compelled to take away asylum seekers off the Bibby Stockholm barge final month following an outbreak of Legionella micro organism.

Taking questions within the House of Commons at this time, immigration minister Robert Jenrick confirmed it may very well be weeks earlier than persons are moved again on board the controversial vessel that’s docked in Dorset.

Mr Jenrick instructed MPs folks can be moved again to the barge “as soon as possible”, offering security checks confirmed no “cause for concern”, which he mentioned he expects to happen “within weeks”.

The ongoing delay to the Bibby Stockholm and the affirmation of latest diphtheria instances will come as a blow to Rishi Sunak after small boats crossed the Channel for a fourth day in a row.

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More than 800 migrants crossed the English Channel on Saturday – the best quantity on a single day thus far this yr – whereas 113 arrived on Sunday and 286 on Monday.

Since the beginning of September, 1,271 migrants have been detected crossing the Channel, in accordance with Home Office figures, whereas the provisional complete for the yr thus far stands at 21,372.

Mr Jenrick defended the federal government’s immigration plan, saying it was “the most comprehensive of any strategy to tackle this problem in Europe”.

He added: “As of today, arrivals are down by 20% compared with last year and for the month of August, the reduction was more than a third.”

But his Labour shadow Stephen Kinnock mentioned the one purpose figures have been down on final yr was due to the poor climate in July and August.

“A strategy that depends on the weather is probably not a very sustainable strategy at all,” he mentioned.

The first asylum seekers arrived on the Bibby Stockholm final month however have been moved off once more simply days later after exams revealed there had been an outbreak of Legionella – a micro organism that may trigger a doubtlessly lethal lung an infection generally known as Legionnaires’ illness. It is contracted by folks inhaling droplets of water containing the micro organism.

Conservative MP Richard Drax, who has opposed the barge which relies in his South Dorset constituency, took the chance to ask Mr Jenrick “when and if” migrants would return.

Mr Jenrick replied: “It was very unfortunate that migrants had to be moved off the barge over the summer. We deeply regret that. We did take a very precautionary approach.

“Tests have subsequently been carried out and the definitive solutions to these exams might be obtained very shortly.

“Assuming that they show no signs of Legionella or indeed any other bacteria or cause of concern, then we will move people back onto the boat as soon as possible. I think we can expect that within weeks.”

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The Home Office has refused to verify if any of the newest instances of diphtheria have been discovered amongst folks on board the Bibby Stockholm or amongst these staying at former RAF airbase Wethersfield Airfield in Essex, which opened to migrants for the primary time in July.

Fifty-five of the instances have been recorded within the South East, whereas there have been seven in London, and fewer than 5 within the East of England, West Midlands, South West, North East, North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber.

Last yr there have been issues that migrants had been moved out of a processing centre in Kent whereas displaying signs of the an infection.

At the time, the house secretary confronted criticism about overcrowding and outbreaks of illness at Manston after Sky News revealed {that a} man held there might have died from a diphtheria an infection.