Three people have died in the UK after contracting a Victorian-era disease. Diphtheria, commonly spread through coughs and sneezes, was identified in 87 people in England in 2022.
An asylum seeker died in November last year with the disease after being held at Manston processing centre in Kent, reports the Mirror. A further 11 cases were connected to people having "companion animals" and it is believed the disease was spread by contact with pets.According to the UK Health Security Agency, the risk to the wider public of catching the disease is still very low.
You can also get it by sharing items, such as cups, cutlery, clothing or bedding, with an infected person. The main symptoms include a thick grey-white coating that may cover the back of your throat, nose and tongue, a high temperature, sore throat, swollen glands in your neck as well as difficulty breathing and swallowing.
Hussein Haseeb Ahmed passed away at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother hospital on November 19 after being held at Manston after crossing the Channel a week earlier. Gayatri Amirthalingam,