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The Public Health (Ships) Regulations 1979

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Regulation 32

SCHEDULE 4ADDITIONAL MEASURES WITH RESPECT TO THE DISEASES SUBJECT TO THE INTERNATIONAL HEALTH REGULATIONS

PART 1PLAGUE

AInfected ships and suspected ships

(1) The medical officer may—

(a)require any suspect on board to be disinsected and may place him under surveillance, the period of surveillance being reckoned from the date of arrival of the ship;

(b)require the disinsecting and, if necessary, disinfection of the baggage of any infected person or suspect, and of any other article on board and any part of the ship which the medical officer considers to be contaminated.

(2) If there is any rodent infected with plague on board the medical officer or other authorised officer shall require the ship to be deratted in a manner to be determined by him, but without prejudice to the generality of this requirement the following special provisions shall apply to any such deratting:—

(a)the deratting shall be carried out as soon as the holds have been emptied or when they contain only ballast or other material, unattractive to rodents, of such a nature or so disposed as to make a thorough inspection of the holds possible. A Deratting Exemption Certificate may be issued for an oil tanker with full holds;

(b)one or more preliminary derattings of a ship with the cargo in situ, or during its unloading, may be carried out to prevent the escape of infected rodents;

(c)if the complete destruction of rodents cannot be secured because only part of the cargo is due to be unloaded, a ship shall not be prevented from unloading that part, but the medical officer or other authorised officer may apply any measure which he considers necessary to prevent the escape of infected rodents, including placing the ship in quarantine.

(3) On arrival of a ship having on board a person suffering from pulmonary plague, or if there has been a case of pulmonary plague on board a ship within the period of six days before its arrival, the medical officer may—

(a)carry out the measure set out in paragraph 1 of Part 1 of this schedule;

(b)require any person on board to be placed in isolation for six days reckoned from the date of the last exposure to infection.

BShips which have been in infected areas

(4) The medical officer may—

(a)place under surveillance any suspect who disembarks; the period of surveillance being reckoned from the date of the departure of the ship from the infected area;

(b)regard as suspect any person not isolated for six days before departure from an area with an epidemic of pulmonary plague;

(c)require, in exceptional circumstances and for well founded reasons, the destruction of rodents on the ship and disinsecting, but he shall give the master notice in writing of the reasons for the requirement.

Regulation 9(5)

PART IICHOLERA

Infected ships and suspected ships

(1) The medical officer

(a)may place under surveillance any person who disembarks from a ship, the period of surveillance being reckoned from the date of disembarkation from the ship;

(b)shall be responsible for the supervision of the removal and safe disposal of any water, food (excluding cargo), human dejecta, waste water, including bilge water, waste matter, and any other matter which is considered to be contaminated, and shall be responsible for the disinfection of water tanks and food handling equipment.

(2) Foodstuffs carried as cargo on board ships in which a case of cholera has occurred during the journey, may not be subjected to bacteriological examination except by the health authorities of the country of final destination.

PART IIIYELLOW FEVER

Infected ships, suspected ships, and ships which have been in infected areas

The medical officer may require the ship to be disinsected for the destruction of vectors of yellow fever which may be on board.

Regulation 9(5)

PART IVSMALLPOX

AInfected ships

(1) The medical officer shall offer vaccination to any person on board or disembarking from the ship who does not show sufficient evidence of protection by a previous attack of smallpox or who does not satisfy the medical officer that he possesses a valid International Vaccination Certificate.

(2) The medical officer may either—

(a)place under surveillance any person who disembarks, the period of surveillance being reckoned from the date on which the medical officer considers the person was last exposed to infection; or

(b)if he considers any such person is not sufficiently protected against smallpox, isolate him for a similar period.

(3) The medical officer shall require the disinfection of the baggage of any infected person, and of any other article on board and any part of the ship which the medical officer considers to be contaminated.

BSuspects on other ships

(4) The medical officer may also apply the provisions of paragraphs (1) and (2) of this part to any suspect who disembarks from a ship which is not an infected ship.

PART VLASS A FEVER, RABIES, VIRAL HAEMORRHAGIC FEVER OR MARBURG DISEASE

Infected ships and suspected ships

(1) The medical officer may—

(a)place any suspect on board under surveillance, the period of surveillance being reckoned from the date of arrival of the ship;

(b)require the disinfection of the baggage of any infected person or suspect, and of any other article on board and any part of the ship which the medical officer considers to be contaminated.

(2) If there is any rodent on board, the authorised officer may require the ship to be deratted in a manner to be determined by him, but without prejudice to the generality of this requirement the following special provisions shall apply to any such deratting:—

(a)the deratting shall be carried out as soon as the holds have been emptied or when they contain only ballast or other material, unattractive to rodents, of such a nature or so disposed as to make a thorough inspection of the holds possible. A Deratting Exemption Certificate may be issued for an oil tanker with full holds;

(b)one or more preliminary derattings of a ship with the cargo in situ, or during its unloading, may be carried out to prevent the escape of infected rodents;

(c)if the complete destruction of rodents cannot be secured because only part of the cargo is due to be unloaded, a ship shall not be prevented from unloading that part, but the authorised officer may apply any measure which he considers necessary to prevent the escape of infected rodents, including placing the ship in quarantine.

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