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79
By the Public Health Infectious Diseases Regulations, 1927 a person
suffering from enteric fever or dysentery may be required to discontinue
any occupation in connection with the preparation or handling of food or
drink for human consumption. Where any such person sustains damage,
the local authority shall pay full compensation. Section 41(2) of the Public
Health Act, 1961 empowers a Medical Officer of Health with a view to
preventing the spread of a notifiable disease or a disease to which Section
23(1) of the Food and Drugs Act, 1955 applies to require any person to
discontinue his work. The local authority shall compensate a person who
has suffered any loss in complying with the request under this Section.
By Section 39 of the Public Health Act, 1961 the occupier might be
required to provide information about a case of notifiable disease or food
poisoning. Section 40 gives powers to call for the exclusion of children
from places of public entertainment or assembly with a view to preventing
the spread of notifiable disease.
Disinfection
The Council decided that except in cases of smallpox and typhoid
fever, and in any exceptional cases approved by the Medical Officer of
Health, where disinfection cannot be carried out in the home, terminal
fumigation and removal of bedding and other articles for stoving after the
commoner notifiable infections shall be abandoned, the householder being
instructed as to the precautionary measures to be taken, Where householders
still requested that fumigation or stoving be carried out, a charge
was to be made. It was later decided that terminal fumigation and stoving
of articles should be carried out free of cost in the case of open tuberculosis
and scabies. In regard to the treatment of premises which have been
occupied by those suffering from open tuberculosis, it is felt that in this
even more than in the other infections, it is essential that the premises
should be thoroughly cleansed beforehand, otherwise the organisms are
too likely to be protected against the action of the disinfectant. The
practice has been adopted, then, through the kindness of the staff of the
chest clinics, of a report being obtained from them that the other steps
have been taken and the premises cleansed. On receipt of this report, but
not until then, arrangements are made for the treatment of the rooms
and their contents.
In 1954 the Council agreed to the following charges:
Articles from households where disinfection is not considered
necessary by the Public Health Department, but where the householder
wishes this to be done—20s. for the first load. 10s. for each
subsequent load.
Fumigation of rooms in these circumstances—10s. 6d. per room.
Stoving of articles for despatch to certain other countries—2s. 6d.
per parcel.