LONDON: A migrant who died last month after being held at an asylum-processing center in Kent has been identified as Hussein Haseeb Ahmed, a 31-year old from Iraq, the BBC reported on Monday.
He arrived in the UK on a small boat on Nov. 12 but took ill soon after and died seven days later at a hospital in Margate. Although the Home Office initially said there was no evidence that he died as a result of an infectious disease, subsequent tests confirmed he had diphtheria.
An initial investigation into Ahmed’s death revealed that he was taken to the hospital’s emergency department on Nov. 14 as he was unable to eat or drink and found swallowing to be painful. He was discharged following treatment and taken back to the Manston processing center.
However, he was admitted to the hospital on Nov. 19 suffering from increasing shortness of breath, a fever and drowsiness. Blood tests revealed he was experiencing multiple organ failures, the BBC reported.
It has not yet been confirmed whether the migrant, who was of Kurdish origin, died of diphtheria, which is a highly infectious disease.
A full investigation into his death has been postponed until May 30, when a pre-inquest review is scheduled to take place.
