Hotels taking in asylum seekers have been advised to isolate infectious people amid fears that overcrowding in processing centres could be causing scabies and diphtheria to spread.
The UK has identified 50 cases of diphtheria among migrants and last week the House of Lords was told scabies was “racing through” hotels where asylum seekers have been accommodated.
It is also feared the death of an Iraqi migrant at Kent's Manston processing centre was the result of diphtheria.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it is working “very closely” with the NHS to identify people who have been identified with diphtheria to make sure they get the treatment and care they need.
It has warned that accommodation settings should be considered “high-risk for infectious diseases”.
“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,” Dr Trish Mannes, UKHSA director for the south-east, told the Sunday Times.
“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 preventive treatment.”
Advice to venues includes providing people with suspected cases meals in their rooms and their own individual crockery, utensils, linen and towels.
Diphtheria vaccinations are now being offered to new arrivals at Manston.
Diphtheria affects the nose, throat and sometimes skin. The NHS says it is rare in the UK and can be treated with antibiotics and other medicines.
On Monday, Health Secretary Steve Barclay said a vaccination programme for migrants had been started.
What's happening at Manston?
“We vaccinated a range of people at Manston before they were moved, so that was part of the targeted action that UKHSA put in place,” he said.
“Clearly within the population as a whole it’s very low risk because there’s very high uptake of vaccinations within the local population, but we’re monitoring it closely and that’s why so many people were vaccinated — 500 were vaccinated before they left Manston.”
Asked about the risk to the general public, he added: “The risk is very low, partly because there is very high uptake of vaccination within the British public in the first place.
“But also we had a targeted action of vaccinations at Manston and so 500 people were vaccinated before they actually left Manston, and it’s something that UKHSA are monitoring extremely closely.
“And that’s why they took the targeted action that they did.”
Baroness Brinton told the House of Lords on Thursday that scabies was also an issue due to a lack of clean linen in hotels.
“In some places, the rate is 70 per cent because they do not have the clean clothes and linen necessary for the clothes that have mite infestation to be thoroughly washed. Worse, the Home Office and Clearsprings [contractor] have refused to provide specialist creams at those hotels for asylum seekers to use,” she said.
At one point, as many as 4,000 people were detained at Manston, which was designed to hold just 1,600.
