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Contacts or Carriers of Infectious Disease - Sickness Benefit
Circular 115/48 of the Ministry of Health empowers the Medical
Officer of Health to issue certificates to persons who have been in
contact with or who are carriers of infectious disease, thus
enabling them to claim sickness benefit under the National Insurance
Acts , when he deems it necessary to exclude such persons from work.
It is only exceptionally that it is necessary to require a contact
or carrier of infectious disease to stay away from work and during
the year under review no certificates were issued.
It was however necessary on one occasion to exclude a food
handler from her place of work whilst she was a contact of a case
of infectious disease. This woman, who was not entitled to Nationa
Health sickness benefit, applied to the Council for payment of loss
of earnings and the consent of the Ministry of Housing and Local
Government, in accordance with Section 228 (1) of the Local Government
Act, 1933, was obtained to the payment of an agreed amount.