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Regulation 3(b) of the National Insurance (Unemployment and
Sickness Benefit) Regulations, 1948, made under the above Act,
enables any person so excluded to claim sickness benefit on production
of a certificate issued by the Medical Officer of Health.
In the Ministry of Health Circular 115/48 it has been suggested
that the Medical Officer of Health should be prepared to furnish
such a certificate if, in his opinion, circumstances are such that this
action becomes necessary.
It is likely that action of this nature could result in hardship
for National Health benefits are considerably less than a person's
normal earnings. However, Section 41 of the Public Health Act,
1961, provides that where, with a view to preventing the spread of
a notifiable infectious disease or a disease to which Section 23(1)
of the Food and Drugs Act, 1955, applies, a Medical Officer of
Health by written notice requests a person to discontinue his work,
then the local authority shall compensate such person for the loss
occasioned in compliance thereof.
No action was necessary during the year under review.
International Certificates
Ministry of Health Circular 20/52.—The question of authentication
of International Certificates of vaccination has now been
settled by the adoption of the International Sanitary Regulations
(W.H.O. Regulations No. 2) which replaced the International
Sanitary Conventions on 1st October, 1952. The Regulations
prescribe inter alia, new forms of International Certificates of vaccination
against Cholera and Smallpox and, to be valid, the certificate
must bear an approved stamp which certifies that the signature
of the Vaccinator is that of a practising medical practitioner.
During the year some 8,453 certificates of persons proceeding
abroad were so authenticated, of these 8,005 were in respect of
Smallpox, 315 Cholera, and 133 for Typhoid. This total represents a
rise of 5,807 over that of the previous year and consisted almost
entirely of Smallpox vaccination certificates. Outbreaks of Smallpox
(variola minor) in the West Midlands, Pontypool and Salford
probably contributed to this increase.
Smallpox
No cases were notified during the year, but a number of contacts
were reported arriving in the Borough from abroad and these
were kept under surveillance for the requisite period.
Public Health (Smallpox Prevention) Regulations, 1917.—These
Regulations give a Medical Officer of Health power to vaccinate or
re-vaccinate without charge, any contacts of Smallpox cases willing
to submit themselves for treatment.