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he informs the Local Authority within twenty-four hours from the receipt of the
notice that he will cleanse and disinfect the house or part thereof, and any such
articles therein to the satisfaction of the Medical Officer of Health, within a time
fixed in the notice.
(2) If within twenty-four hours from the receipt of the notice the person
to whom the notice is given does not inform the Local Authority as aforesaid, or
it having so informed the Local Authority he fails to have the house or part
thereof, and any such articles disinfected as aforesaid within the time fixed in the
notice, the house or part thereof shall be cleansed and disinfected by the Officers
of the Local Authority, under the superintendence of the Medical Officer of
Health, and the expenses incurred may be recovered from the owner thereof or
occupier in a summary manner
(3) Provided that where the owner or occupier of any such house or part
thereof is unable in the opinion of the Local Authority, or of their Medical
Officer of Health, effectually to cleanse and disinfect such house or part thereof,
and any article therein likely to retain infection, the same may, without any such
notice beine given as aforesaid, but with the consent of the owner or occupier, be
cleansed and disinfected by the Officers of and at the cost of the Local Authority.
It will be seen that this and the following section are the
most important with which we shall have to deal. The cases
of infectious disease that are notified to us are of two kinds.
First, those that are removed to the hospital or die at their
homes.
Second, those patients that are treated at their own homes
during their whole illness.
As we receive immediate notice of those of the first class, a
certificate can be at once given by me to the clerk to certifythat
it is necessary to have the room at once disinfected.
Notice has then to be served on the occupier that, unless he
inform us that he will disinfect the premises to my satisfaction,
it is incumbent that the Local Authority do so at the cost
of such occupier.
In the second class of cases—those treated at their own
homes—the difficulty will be to ascertain when the patient is
sufficiently well to have the room and clothing, &c., disinfected.
There is, however, provision made in this section, whithout such
aforesaid notice, for the Local Authority to carry out disinfection
at its own cost.
(6) Any Local Authority, or the Medical Officer of Health of any Local
Authority generally empowered by the Authority in that behalf, may by notice
in writing require the owner of any bedding, clothing, or other articles which
have been exposed to the infection of any infectious disease to cause the same to
be delivered over to an Officer of the Local Authority for removal for the purpose
of disinfection; and any person who fails to comply with such a requirement
shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding ten pounds.
The bedding, clothing, and articles shall be disinfected by the Authority,
and shall be brought back and delivered to the owner free of charge, and if any
of them suffer any unnecessary damage the authority shall compensate the owner
for the same, and the amount of compensation shall be recoverable in, and in case
of dispute shall be settled by, a Court of Summary Jurisdiction.
It will be seen that Section 6 deals exclusively with disinfection
of bedding, clothing, &c.