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International Certificates of Vaccination.
Travellers to most countries abroad have to produce evidence of recent vaccination against
certain prescribed diseases. For this purpose an International Certificate of Vaccination is used in
respect of smallpox, cholera and yellow fever. Methods of protection previously known as
"inoculation" are now described internationally as vaccination.
Under the terms of Ministry of Health circulars Nos. 60/48 and 20/52 the Medical Officer of Health
is required to authenticate the signatures on certificates issued by doctors practising within his district
During the year, signatures on 7,157 of these certificates were authenticated.
In addition, eighteen certificates were issued, upon request, to the effect that no cases of smallpox
had been reported in the district during the preceding three months. Applicants for these certificates
are usually travelling to America and do not wish to submit to vaccination but the American immigration
authorities reserve the right to place such persons under surveillance despite the production of
this certificate.
The Public Health (Aircraft) (Amendment) Regulations, 1963, and The Public Health (Ships)
(Amendment) Regulations, 1963, which came into force on 1st August, 1963, were made as a result of
recommendations by the Public Health Committee of the Council of Europe. They are intended to
increase the safeguards against the importation of smallpox into the " excepted areas " and as a result,
national health administrations should normally require from travellers from locally infected areas and
" endemic areas " a valid International Certificate of Vaccination. The " endemic areas " are now
defined as consisting of Africa, Asia and the Americas (excluding Canada and the United States of
America). During 1963, forty-nine travellers from such areas who had arrived in the Borough without
valid International Certificates of Vaccination were seen and kept under surveillance.
Bacteriological Examinations.
Table 24, page 39, shows the number of specimens examined for the purposes of diagnosis and also
indicates the organisms in relation to which the examinations were made.