A migrant detained by US authorities near a border crossing with Mexico is reported to have been suffering from a "flesh-eating" bacterial infection.
More than 306 migrants, mostly from Central American countries, were taken into custody near the Antelope Wells port of entry in New Mexico on Thursday.
According to the Albuquerque Journal, some minors among those detained required "immediate medical assistance" and were rushed to local hospitals for treatment of "various illnesses and injuries".
A man from a separate group of detainees told a US Border Patrol agent that he had a growing rash on his leg. He was hospitalised and found to have a flesh-eating bacteria, something the hospital staff said would require "additional and more extensive treatment".
Flesh-eating bacteria is a common name for necrotising fasciitis, a rare infection that typically gets into the body through a break in the skin, such as a scrape or burn. It rapidly devours skin, muscles, and other tissue, and is usually treated with antibiotics and surgery.
The three hundred migrants apprehended on Thursday are the third large group attempting to enter the US in recent weeks.
"Criminal organisations smuggling these groups continue to take advantage of these groups of people in order to enhance their illegal activities without due regard to the risks to human life," the US Border Patrol said in a statement.
