A total of three people have died after contracting a Victorian-era disease in the UK, which is spread by coughing and sneezing.
Diptheria was identified in 87 people in the UK last year, up from just 10 cases in 2021, reports the Mirror.
It has been reported that 72 cases of the Corynebacterium diphtheriae strain were found among asylum seekers that had travelled to the country.
READ MORE - Two people in hospital after fire tears through Edinburgh four-storey building
In November 2022, an asylum seeker died of the condition, after being held at Manston processing centre in Kent.
A further 11 cases were connected to people who had "companion animals" and it is believed that the disease was also spread by contact with pets.
According to the UK Health Security Agency, the risk to the wider public of catching diptheria is still relatively low.
Diphtheria is a highly contagious infection that can be fatal, especially in children, if it is not treated quickly.
According to the NHS, the disease is considered rare, as babies and children have been routinely vaccinated against it since the 1940s.
The infection is usually spread through the air, by coughing or sneezing, or through close contact with someone who is already infected.
Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
You can also catch it by sharing items with an infected person, such as cups, clothing, bedding or cutlery.
The main symptoms include a thick, grey-white coating at the back of your throat, nose and tongue, a sore throat, high temperature, and swollen gland that cause difficulty breathing and swallowing.
In the UK, the uptake for vaccinations against diptheria is high, as it is included in the 6-in-1 doses given to babies at eight, 12 and 16 weeks of age. It is also given at three years and four months in the 4-in-1 pre-school booster.
Following the death of a 31-year-old asylum seeker in Kent in 2022, immigration minister Robert Jenrick said migrants of the disease would be separated for a "short period" at the Manston migrant processing centre near Ramsgate or held in a "designated isolation centre" while they are treated.
Hussein Haseeb Ahmed passed away at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) hospital on November 19 after being held at Manston after crossing the Channel a week earlier.
READ NEXT:
Edinburgh gym owner fumes as council stick 'dirty' bench outside her shop
Edinburgh woman signs up for charity run for blind - not realising her own condition
The eerie abandoned tunnel near Edinburgh that's been sealed for 60 years
Edinburgh man speaks out over childhood friend's determination after cancer diagnosis
Former Edinburgh community gym torn down to make way for student flats
