THREE people have died from diphtheria in the UK, new figures show.
Cases of the highly contagious disease have risen in the past year, according to the UK Health Security Agency.
GettyCases of the highly-contagious Victorian disease diphtheria have risen in the UK[/caption]
Toxigenic diphtheria was identified in 87 people in England in 2022, a jump from the 10 cases the year before.
Experts have linked the increase to spread among asylum seekers and people catching it from their pets.
At least 72 cases of the Corynebacterium diphtheriae (C. diphtheria) strain were found among migrants who had recently arrived on British shores.
A further 11 were identified to have the Corynebacterium ulcerans variant, with all cases connected to “companion animals”.
One died from toxigenic diphtheriae in November 2022 after being held at Manston processing centre in Kent.
Two others died from pet-related infections between January and December.
Over the past decade, the number of cases in England has climbed from an average of two to 11 per year, excluding 2020.
Diphtheria is a serious infection caused by strains of bacteria which spreads by coughs, sneezes or close contact.
Symptoms include a high temperature, sore throat, swollen glands, difficulty breathing and a thick grey-white coating on the back of the throat, nose and tongue.
It was prominent in Victorian times but cases are now relatively rare in the UK because children have been routinely vaccinated since the 1940s.
However, those who haven’t been jabbed are highly susceptible to the bug, which can also cause nasty ulcers on the skin, if it’s not treated with antibiotics.
Gayatri Amirthalingam, UKHSA diphtheria incident director, said: “Our latest report shows that the number of diphtheria cases in the UK remains very low.
“This reflects the success of the diphtheria vaccination programme in the UK and means the risk to the wider public from diphtheria is very low.
“However, in recent years, we have seen vaccine uptake fall among young people due to the challenges posed by the pandemic and this leaves children and young people who are not fully vaccinated at risk.
“I would urge parents of children and young people who have missed out on these important vaccines to contact their school nurse, school immunisation team or GP surgery to arrange a catch-up as these vaccines offer the best protection as young people start their journey into adulthood.”
Uptake for the Td/IPV vaccine – for tetanus, diphtheria and polio – among children in England last year was 69 per cent.
In 2018/19, it was around 88 per cent.
Health minister Maria Caulfield said that declining rates in coverage were “of concern”.
A report released last month by the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases suggested rates of diphtheria were also rising across the continent.
The authors said there had been “evident transmission among migrant people” which they believed had occurred “during travel within migrant facilities”.
They added that “a lack of proper vaccination among the migrant people” was the reason for the outbreaks.
To avoid further spread, the researchers recommended “timely screening of at-risk individuals”.
The 7 symptoms of diphtheria you need to know
SYMPTOMS of the illness usually start two to five days after you become infected.
The NHS says the key signs include:
a thick grey-white coating that may cover the back of your throat, nose and tongue
a high temperature (fever)
sore throat
swollen glands in your neck
difficulty breathing and swallowing
pus-filled blisters on your legs, feet and hands
large ulcers surrounded by red, sore looking skin
Since 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported a rise in cases in places such as Indonesia, India, South American and Africa.
It’s spread by coughs and sneezes or through close contact with someone who is infected.
You can, however, also get it from sharing items such as cups, clothing or bedding with an infected person.