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80
Cleansing and Disinfection of Premises and Articles; Public
Conveyance of Infected Corpses; Deposit of Infectious Rubbish.—
By section 5 of the Act, section 22 of the Sanitary Act, 1866, so far as
it relates to any London district, is repealed Section 5 of
the present Act substitutes for the repealed enactment the following
provisions:—
Where the medical officer of health of any local authority, or any
other registered medical practitioner, certifies that the cleansing and
disinfecting of any house, or part of it, and of any articles in it likely to
retain infection, would tend to prevent or check infectious disease, the
clerk is to give notice in writing to the owner or occupier that the house
or part, and any articles in it likely to retain infection, will be cleansed
and disinfected by the local authority at the cost of the owner or
occupier, unless he informs the local authority, within 24 hours from
the receipt of the notice, that he will do the cleansing and disinfection,
to the satisfaction of the medical officer of health, within a time fixed
in the notice. (Sub-section (1).)
If, within 24 hours from the receipt of the notice, the person to
whom it is given does not inform the local authority that he will so do
the cleansing and disinfection, or if, having so informed the local
authority, he fails to have the work done within the time fixed in the
notice, the house or part of a house and articles are to be cleansed and
disinfected by the officers of the local authority under the superintendence
of the medical officer of health. The expenses incurred may
be recovered from the owner or occupier in a summary manner. (Subsection
(2.)) But the section is subject to the proviso that, where the
owner or occupier of the house or part of a house is unable, in the
opinion of the local authority, or of their medical officer of health,
effectually to cleanse and disinfect it, and any article therein likely
to retain infection, the offioers of the local authority, with the consent
of the owner or occupier, may undertake the cleansing and disinfection
at the cost of the local authority, without any notice being given
to the owner or occupier under sub-section (1)
If the members of a family in which infectious disease has
appeared are compelled to leave their dwelling for the purpose of
enabling such dwelling to be disinfected by the local authority, the
local authority are to provide them, free of charge, with temporary
shelter or house accommodation and any necessary attendants.
(Section 15.)