A “small number” of positive results for tuberculosis (TB) have reportedly been detected at a former RAF site that is being used to house asylum seekers. The Press Association reports it is understood that tests are now underway to see if the cases at RAF Wethersfield in Braintree, Essex are ‘active’.
TB is a bacterial infection that usually affects the lungs. It is spread through close contact with people who have ‘active’ TB, meaning they have symptoms.
The NHS says TB can be serious if not treated. A vaccine is available that can help protect some people who are at risk from TB. However, the main treatment for TB is to take antibiotics for at least six months, says the NHS
It comes amid reports that hundreds of asylum seekers could be housed in tents on disused military sites. The idea reportedly forms part of Suella Braverman’s emergency plans to deal with an expected surge in small boat crossings.
The Home Secretary has purchased the marquees in recent days to accommodate the migrants by the end of August, according to a Whitehall source reported in The Times. More than 14,000 people have made unauthorised crossings this year as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak struggles to meet his promise of “stopping the boats”.
But Ms Braverman is working on contingency plans to erect the tents in the coming weeks with a surge of boats expected. Reports cite Government sources saying a similar proposal was rejected last year because of warnings it would trigger legal challenges based on inhumane treatment of asylum seekers.
Last year, the Refugee Council blamed cases of diphtheria and scabies at the Manston asylum centre in Kent “inhumane” conditions and overcrowding. Mark Davies, of the Refugee Council, told The Independent: “What is happening at Manston is inhumane. The government cannot shy away from the facts – there is overcrowding, disease, and the risk of disorder.”
At the time, James Wilson, deputy director at Detention Action, claimed Manston as on the verge of becoming a “public health disaster”. He described the facility as “overcrowded, unhygienic and unsafe”.
Earlier this month, the Home Office confirmed that a single active case of scabies had been detected at RAF Wethersfield. Scabies is a common skin infection that is not usually a serious condition.
Meanwhile, the Home Office expects to send an initial 50 people to the UK’s first floating barge for asylum seekers on Tuesday despite safety concerns and local opposition. A Government source confirmed details of the first arrivals at the Bibby Stockholm barge in Portland, Dorset, and numbers are due to rise gradually over coming months.
The floating facility will host around 500 men at a time under Government efforts to reduce the use of hotels to house people awaiting the results of asylum claims.
A record backlog and thousands of people making unauthorised crossings of the Channel have strained the system as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak battles to “stop the boats”.
But refugee charities said the use of barges and former military bases to house asylum seekers is damaging to the needs of vulnerable people, and also raised concerns for migrants’ safety.
Conservative MPs representing areas where the facilities are being established have also been worried about how their constituencies will be impacted.
A month behind schedule after undergoing repairs, Bibby Stockholm was met by protesters as it arrived in Portland Port on Tuesday last week. Some residents have raised concerns for their safety on the island with a population of around 13,000 and argued that it does not have the infrastructure to provide for the newcomers and those already there.
A Home Office spokeswoman said: “The Bibby Stockholm has completed a statutory inspection and refurbishment and is now berthing in Portland. The welfare of those in our care is of the utmost priority and the barge is now undergoing final preparations to ensure it complies with all appropriate regulations before the arrival of the first asylum seekers in the coming weeks.”