Diptheria cases have risen sharply as a result of small boat crossings, scientists have warned.

Researchers said outbreaks across the continent over the past year have been ‘mostly linked to incoming migrants’ – nearly all from Afghanistan.

Diphtheria, a highly contagious bacterial infection which can be fatal, is rare in the UK because babies and children have been routinely vaccinated against it since the 1940s.

But people who are unvaccinated are highly susceptible to the disease, which can cause nasty ulcers on the skin, breathing problems and heart damage if not treated with antibiotics.

The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases report for England uses figures from the UK Health Security Agency, and is based on genomic testing of hundreds of cases across ten countries in Europe, including 59 in England.

Diptheria cases have risen sharply as a result of small boat crossings, scientists have warned

It highlights how 73 cases of the disease were recorded in England in 2022 overall – up from 12 cases the previous year – and one further case was recorded this year.

Most of the patients (97 per cent) were ‘young Afghan males’ aged under 18 with ‘unknown vaccination history’ – although the UKHSA notes that this group may be ‘over-represented’ due to ‘greater clinical awareness and case ascertainment’ among the demographic.

Around half of those infected (51 per cent) presented with skin problems caused by the disease, which can include blisters on the legs, feet and hands, and large ulcers.

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Some 12 per cent had no symptoms, and the disease in these cases was picked up through screening or contact tracing. 

The authors said: ‘Linked to an increase in migrant arrivals via small boat in the summer of 2022, the UK experienced a sharp increase in diphtheria cases caused by toxigenic corynebacterium diphtheriae last year.’

Speaking about data for Europe as a whole, they 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 future diphtheria outbreaks, the researchers recommended ‘increased awareness among physicians who provide care to migrants’, ‘thorough vaccination protocols’ and ‘timely screening of at-risk individuals’.

Most of the patients (97 per cent) were ‘young Afghan males’ aged under 18 (pictured: health officials dealing with diptheria cases at Manston migrant processing centre)

They added: ‘Further monitoring of this situation using molecular typing and genomic approaches will be key to define the source and routes of this resurgence.’

The research was led by Dr Helena Seth-Smith from the University of Zurich, and Dr Sylvain Brisse of the Institut Pasteur in Paris, who worked with scientists from across Europe including at the European Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Two people died of diphtheria in the UK in 2021 and one in 2022.

Before vaccination began in the UK, there were 60,000 cases a year, with around 4,000 deaths.

The disease made headlines last year after an outbreak was traced to the Manston migrant centre in Kent.