A Health group has been set up to monitor the care of asylum seekers in Clacton and to look into screening them for diseases.

Dozens of asylum seekers are currently staying in the town in hotels and Tendring Primary Care Group has established a working party to look into their health.

One of the matters they are looking at is screening for hepatitis B or tuberculosis.

But health chiefs have stressed there is no reason to think any asylum seekers have either disease.

Tom Stewart, of the PCG, said: "These people really need access to good general medical services.

"We feel we need to make sure people who are placed here are getting the right kind of care, not only health services but other things."

Many of the asylum seekers tried to register with several GPs and in response one GP took them all on. Although he would not carry out the screening, he would carry out an examination before taking them on, which should have picked up any problems, Mr Stewart added.

Screening already takes place, but mostly in London boroughs where the asylum seekers first stay.

The situation is made more difficult as there are six different languages spoken by the asylym seekers in Clacton, which include people from Somalia, Zaire, Kosova and Czechoslovakia.

The PCG set up a small working group to deal with the asylum seekers and its next meeting on April 14 will be attended by an infection control specialist from North Essex Health Authority.

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