Diphtheria

This gov.uk page is UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) clinical guidance for healthcare practitioners caring for migrant patients, not a live outbreak situation report, though its background section does describe a genuine UK-relevant diphtheria situation. Since June 2022, there has been a rise in toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae cases among asylum seekers in Europe and the UK, part of an outbreak first reported among migrants in Europe that month, with cases subsequently identified in people arriving in the UK by small boat. Most presented as cutaneous diphtheria, though respiratory presentations, including a small number of classical membranous respiratory diphtheria, also occurred. Cases diagnosed in England had arrived very recently and were considered to have acquired their infection during the journey to the UK. Despite higher small-boat arrivals in 2024 than in 2022 or 2023, UKHSA states that the level of diphtheria risk now appears to have reduced. No specific case count is given for this cluster; for longer-term context, the guide separately notes 233 toxigenic diphtheria cases recorded in England and Wales in total between 1986 and 2023, ranging from one to 87 cases per year.

Cite this page (Vancouver)

HealthWatch Global. Diphtheria outbreak — United Kingdom [Internet]. 2026-07-13 [cited 2026 Aug 28]. Available from: https://healthwatch-global.com/en/outbreak/34472558-1fdc-4c77-ad46-e68e7bf124ee. Data source: UKHSA.