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18
INTERNATIONAL SANITARY CONFERENCE, PARIS, 1903.
At the end of the year 1903 an International Conference was held at
Paris, on the subject of the precautions to be taken with regard to Plague,
Yellow Fever and Cholera.
A translation of the Convention agreed to at that Conference has now
been published, and I give herewith an abbreviated account of the provisions
affecting this country and the Port Sanitary Authorities therein.
Part I.—General Provisions.
Chapter 1. Provisions to be observed by the countries signing the Convention
on the appearance of Plague or Cholera in their territory.
Articles 1-2.—The first appearance of recognised cases of plague or
cholera must immediately be notified to the other countries, accompanied
by information as to—
(1) Where the disease has appeared;
(2) The date of its appearance, its source and its type;
(3) The number of known cases and deaths;
(4) In the case of plague, the presence of that disease or of unusual
mortality among rats or mice;
(5) The measures taken immediately on the first appearance of
the disease.
Article 4.—Information shall be furnished at least once a week as to
the course of the epidemic, stating with precision—
(1) The preventive measures taken in the way of sanitary inspection
or of medical investigation, of isolation, and of disinfection.
(2) The-measures adopted in the case of outgoing vessels to prevent
exportation of the disease, and, particularly, in the case
contemplated (4) the measures taken against rats.
Article 5.—Governments should order compulsory notification of plague,
cholera and yellow fever, and should ascertain the existence of any unusual
mortality among rats or mice, particularly in ports.
Article 7.—A local area shall be declared infected only when several
non-imported cases of plague have occurred, or when cases of cholera
constitute a fcyer, i.e., a centre of dissemination.