View report page

Hesion Airport.
During the year the Heston Airport developed into one where it was necessary to appoint
the Medical Officer of Health as a Port Medical Officer, in view of the precautions to be taken
at aerodromes used by foreign aircraft to prevent the dissemination of infectious disease ,by
persons arriving or departing by air.
The proprietors of the Airport are required to inform the Medical Officer of Health:—
fa) If any person arrives from abroad whose condition of health indicates or suggests
that he is suffering from an infectious disease (other than tuberculosis), or who, to
the knowledge or belief of the proprietor, has been in contact with a case of plague,
cholera, yellow fever, typhus fever, or smallpox, or any other disease specified from
time to time by the Medical Officer of Health;
(b) If to the knowledge or belief of the proprietors of the Airport there has been a case
of infectious disease (other than tuberculosis) on board during the voyage, or the
aircraft has, within the preceding fourteen days, left a locality infected with a disehse
mentioned above or has had a case of these diseases on board and has not since undergone
sanitary measures at an aerodrome;
(c) If any person seeks to go abroad whose condition indicates or suggests that he is
suffering from the above mentioned diseases or who has, to the knowledge or belief
of the proprietors, been in contact with a case of any of these diseases; and
(d) To grant all facilities to the Medical Officer of Health and to comply with any instructions
given by him relating to the control of infectious diseases.
As a result, the following resolution was passed by the Council:—
That the Medical Officer of Health be empowered to take such measures as he deems
requisite upon receipt of an intimation from the proprietors of the Heston Airport of
the arrival thereat, or intended departure therefrom, of any person who to the knowledge
or belief of the proprietors is suffering from an infectious disease or who has been
in contact with a case of plague, cholera, yellow fever, typhus fever, or small pox or
any other disease specified from time to time by the Medical Officer of Health, or of
any aircraft that has had persons on board suffering from an infectious disease or has
left an area infected with the foregoing diseases and has not undergone sanitary
measures, and that the Medical Officer of Health be empowered to prepare and furnish
to the proprietors of Heston Airport, a list of localities affected with the diseases
referred to.
Fortunately it has only been necessary in one case to hold up an aeroplane coming from
abroad, which had arrived from Marseilles at a time when there was an outbreak of typhus in
that port.
Prevention of Blindness (Public Health Act, 1925, Section 66).
From the point of view of prevention of blindness, the Council is taking the attitude that
it is important " to turn off the tap rather than mop up the mess and have arrangements for
the admission of cases of ophthalmia neonatorum to St. Margaret's Hospital of the London
County Council.
So far, with the exception of one case of very slight scarring, every case has emerged with
its vision unimpaired.
41