The disease can spread quickly through close contact with others and can be life-threatening.
The disease can spread quickly through close contact with others and can be life-threatening (Image: Getty)
Fears of an outbreak have erupted at an asylum hotel after a small boat migrant has been diagnosed with a highly infectious Victorian disease. An asylum seeker has been placed in isolation after he was found to have tuberculosis (TB) on arrival in the UK.
The migrant is living in an asylum hotel in Essex and has been quarantined as a precautionary measure. Upon arrival on UK shores, all small-boat migrants undergo initial health screenings at Western Jet Foil in Dover and at Manston in Kent.
However, after the disease was contracted, which can be life-threatening, the local NHS has provided healthcare to the unnamed hotel, the Home Office confirmed. The district council responsible for the affected hotel, which has not been named, declined to comment, The Sun reported.
TB can be life-threatening if left untreated and is a notifiable disease in the UK (Image: Getty)
TB is a serious bacterial infection that primarily targets the lungs. It spreads through the air via tiny droplets when an infected person with active symptoms coughs or sneezes. While it is treatable with antibiotics, if left untreated, it can be life-threatening. If the infection spreads to the brain, it can cause a severe, critical condition known as TB meningitis.
Because of its severity, TB is classified as a notifiable disease in the UK. This means healthcare professionals are legally required to report all suspected or confirmed cases to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to help contain potential outbreaks.
While the World Health Organisation (WHO) still classifies the UK as a “low incidence” country for TB, cases have recently been climbing. The latest data show that TB cases in England surged by 13.6% in 2024, with notifications rising to 5,490 from 4,831 the previous year.
The UKHSA noted that 82% of these cases occurred in individuals born outside the UK. In these instances, individuals often migrated with latent (dormant) TB, which later developed into an active infection.
RAF Wethersfield, also in Essex, had an outbreak of TB in 2023 (Image: Getty)
This comes three years after a prominent outbreak of TB began at a former RAF site, also in Essex, which was being used by the government to house migrants. When RAF Wethersfield was repurposed by the Home Office to house hundreds of single male asylum seekers, the dense and communal living conditions quickly became a breeding ground for infectious diseases.
Health monitoring at the remote camp revealed that multiple residents had contracted tuberculosis, sparking urgent containment protocols. The UKHSA and local NHS teams had to rapidly deploy mobile screening units and implement isolation measures to prevent a wider outbreak. Public health experts noted that many individuals had arrived at the facility carrying latent (dormant) TB from their home countries or arduous travel routes, which then turned active due to the intense stress and close quarters of the camp environment.
The Home Office did not confirm how many asylum seekers caught TB at MDP Wethersfield, near Braintree, at the time.