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Experience of working Article 16 -
(1) As ships are cleared in the River immediately on arrival, no
difficulty has been experienced in preventing the embarkation or
disembarkation of unauthorised persons.
(2) When a ship arrives which has on board a case of one of the
major infectious diseases or on which such a case has died or has been
landed abroad within the incubation period of the particular disease,
it is the practice to regard every person on board as a contact and
accordingly to arrange for his observation or surveillance.
Those persons intending to leave the ship must give their
names and addresses before leaving and this is done by issuing such
persons with a specially prepared double post-card, on one half of
which he gives full details of his name and the address to which he
is proceeding immediately on disembarkation and the other half he is
asked to keep and use only should he change his address during a
specified period. This half of the card is on the "Business Reply
Card" system so that the person concerned does not have to stamp it.
What, if any, arrangements have been made for;-
(a) Premises and waiting rooms for medical examinations-
Medical examinations are usually carried out on board ship but
there are rooms available for the medical inspection of Aliens on
the Tilbury Landing Stage.
(b) Cleansing and disinfection of 3hips, persons and clothing and
other articles.
Disinfection of infected quarters is usually carried out by the
Sanitary Inspector in whose area the vessel berths. Should,however,
the space requiring disinfection be large a private firm is employed
who carries out the disinfection under the supervision of the
Sanitary Inspector.
Although Denton Hospital was closed for a part of the year for the
reception of cases, the Disinfecting Station, containing a Washington
Lyons Steam Disinfector has been available for the disinfection of
clothing, bedding etc.
(c) Premises for the temporary accommodation of persons for whom
such accommodation is required for the purposes of the
Regulations -
So far it has not been necessary to make special provision on a
large scale, and if the necessity did arise the ship would be
detained until temporary accommodation ashore had been found.
(d) Hospital accommodation available for Plague, Cholera, Yellow
Fever, Smallpox and other infectious diseases -
During the closure of Denton Hospital arrangements were made with
Medical Officers of Health of the Essex County and Grays Thurrock
Rural District Council for the reception of cases of infectious
disease.
The Isolation Hospital at Denton was re-opened for the reception
of cases on the 1 8th August, 1947.
(e) Ambulance Transport -
The launch "Howard Deighton" used by the Medical Officers as a
Boarding launch is fitted with an ambulance room on deck with accommodation
for four stretcher cases or eight walking cases.
The middle river launch the "Alfred Robertson" has a fairly
spacious after cabin in which a patient could be carried but would
only be used as such should the "Howard Deighton" be out of commission.
(16)