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A further note was therefore sent to the Medical
Officers of Health of the districts to which the crew were proceeding
informing them that the case of suspected modified smallpox, the
contacts of which were in their area, was now regarded as a case of
chickenpox.
A specimen of blood from the patient was sent for
examination to ascertain whether there were any immune bodies. No
further action seemed necessary.
SCABIES ORDER. 1941.
Circular 180/47 dated 29th December, 1947. from the
Ministry of Health directed that the Emergency Laws (Transitional
Provisions) Act,1946, and the Emergency Laws (Miscellaneous
Provisions) Act, 1947, Regulations 33A of the Defence (General)
Regulations, 1939, would expire on 31st December, 1947 and that the
Scabies Order, 1941 which was made under that Regulation, would
accordingly cease to be operative after that date.
The Circular added that "the time has come to revert to
reliance on normal statutory powers, as contained in the Public
Health Acts, for d ealing with verminous conditions, and the Minister,
is confident that Authorities will, continue, as before the war, to
do all they can in tracing the existence of such conditions and in
taking appropriate measures within those powers to remedy them".
V. MEASURES AGAINST RODENTS.
1. Steps taken for the detection of Rodent Plague-
The Port Health Authority employs 12 Rodent Officers working in
conjunction with and under the guidance of the Sanitary Inspectors.
The Rodent Officers' first duty is the examination of such ships
in his area as are due for inspection under Article 28 of the
International Sanitary Convention relating to the granting of
Deratisation and Deratisation Exemption Certificates.
His second duty is to visit ships arriving in his district,
to search for dead rats, paying particular attention to vessels
which have arrived from plague infected ports, to visit such vessels
during the discharge of cargo and, if possible, obtain specimens
of any rats on board for bacteriological examination. The
existence of rodent plague on board should thus be detected at the
earliest possible moment.
The Rodent Officers' third duty is the examination of shore
premises for signs of rat infestation or rat plague, paying particular
attention to premises adjoining the berths of vessels from
plague infected ports. Specimens of the shore rat population
are regularly examined bacteriologically.
In 1941 the Port Health Authority instituted a Rodent Control
Scheme in all the docks and premises of the Port of London
Authority, on behalf of that Authority, and in the premises of the
tenants of the Authority on behalf of the occupiers.
This scheme, in its early days, relied principally on trapping
but with experience and the application of a more up-to-date
knowledge of the habits of rats, new and scientific methods of
poisoning gradually took the place of trapping, the latter now only
being used to clear up residual rats, if any, which have escaped a
major poison operation. The work done under the Rodent Control
scheme is the subject of separate reports.
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