HEALTH officials are dealing with fresh cases of diphtheria at the Manston migrant processing centre in Kent, GB News has learned.
The new cases were discovered this week among the more than two thousand Channel migrants who have arrived on small boats in recent days.
Those picked up in the Channel are taken to Dover and Manston for processing, which includes health checks.
GB News has obtained exclusive still images from inside Manston, revealing some of the conditions those at the camp have been living in.
The pictures show hundreds of blue bags containing the clothing and other belongings of those who have arrived.
As part of the processing centre’s public health protocols, the belongings are removed and disposed of as hazardous waste.
The images also show the dormitories where migrants are housed, with sleeping mats next to each other on the floor.
GB News understands that at least 6 migrants have tested positive for diphtheria and are being isolated in a separate area of the camp.
At one point this week, more than 800 people were being housed inside the camp as they were being processed.
In October, a surge in small boat crossings led to a bottleneck at Manston, with more than 4,000 people living in the camp, some for several weeks.
Manston is only meant to support a maximum of 1,500 migrants for no more than 24 hours as they are being processed and then passed on to interim accommodation.
During the October surge, authorities dealt with 50 confirmed cases of diphtheria.
Two migrants had to be hospitalised, and one who later died was confirmed as having contracted diphtheria.
A Home Office spokesperson would not comment on the reports of fresh cases of the potentially deadly disease.
But in a statement they said: “We have followed the guidance provided by the UK Health Security Agency at all times and a vaccination programme was set up by 15 November within days of this advice being provided to the Home Office.
“We take both the welfare of those in our care and our wider public health responsibilities extremely seriously.
“Full procedures, including with antibiotics and isolation processes have been followed in accordance with UKHSA advice.”
Official sources have told GB News that health authorities believe those testing positive for diphtheria contracted the disease before they crossed the Channel.
More than 2000 people have arrived in small boats so far this week, after a fortnight of bad weather in the Channel prevented crossings.
