Manston asylum seekers get diphtheria jabs as cases rise

Asylum seekers at the Manston processing centre will be vaccinated against diphtheria, health authorities have said. A number of cases of the highly contagious disease have been confirmed at the site in Kent, where concerns have been raised over living conditions and overcrowding.

- ZOE TIDMAN

Asylum seekers are only meant to remain there for a short time for processing, but reports have suggested it has been 2,000 over capacity with some having spent weeks there instead of being moved on to hotels. Reports have also emerged over outbreaks of disease at the centre, including diphtheria and scabies.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said on 1 November that four cases of diphtheria - a bacterial infection that can be serious or even fatal if not treated quickly - had been identified at Manston.

He insisted those involved had arrived already infected. Reports of diphtheria, MRSA and scabies incidents at the centre had been "exaggerated", he added. But the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it is now moving with the Home Office to vaccinate migrants at the centre following a spike in infections.