Diptheria cases in the UK have surged over the past year, linked to illegal immigrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, according to official figures.
The increase of UK cases mirrors similar outbreaks across Europe, which were also among immigrants, particularly young males from Afghanistan and Syria, according to several reports for the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Copenhagen.
Diphtheria, a highly contagious bacterial infection which can be fatal, is rare in the UK. The country has routinely vaccinated babies and children against it since the 1940s.
Fewer than 12 cases per annum have been reported in England over the past decade, but between January 2022 and March this year, 74 cases were detected among illegal immigrants in England, with 73 identified in 2022, according to researchers at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which drafted one report….