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28 1947

HEALTH ACT, 1947

Chapter II.

Verminous persons and articles.

Precautions to be taken by verminous persons.

46. —(1) A person who knows that he is verminous shall, in addition to the precautions specifically provided for by or under this Act, take every reasonable precaution to prevent his infesting others with vermin.

(2) A person who has the care of another person and knows or has reasonable cause to believe that such other person is verminous shall, in addition to any precautions specifically provided for by or under this Act, take every other reasonable precaution to prevent such other person from infesting others with vermin.

(3) A person shall be deemed conclusively to have reason to believe that he or any other person is verminous if he is notified accordingly by a medical officer of health or a health inspector.

(4) A person who contravenes subsection (1) or (2) of this section shall be guilty of an offence under this section and shall be liable on summary conviction thereof to a fine not exceeding five pounds.

Precautions to be taken in relation to verminous articles.

47. —(1) A person shall, in addition to taking any precautions specifically provided for by or under this Act, take every other reasonable precaution to prevent the use or exposure of any article under his control or under the control of a person in his care which he has reasonable cause to believe to be verminous so as to expose other persons, or articles the property of other persons, to the risk of infestation with vermin.

(2) A person shall, in addition to taking any precautions prescribed in regulations made under section 49 of this Act, take every other reasonable precaution to prevent anybody in his employment from using or exposing any article which such person has reasonable cause to believe to be verminous so as to expose other persons, or articles the property of other persons, to the risk of infestation with vermin.

(3) A person shall be deemed conclusively to have reason to believe that an article is verminous if he is notified accordingly by a medical officer of health or a health inspector.

(4) A person who contravenes subsection (1) or (2) of this section shall be guilty of an offence under this section and shall be liable on summary conviction thereof to a fine not exceeding five pounds.

Prohibition of verminous child attending school.

48. —(1) Where a district medical officer becomes aware that a child residing in his district is verminous, he may serve in the prescribed manner, notice on the parent of the child prohibiting the attendance of the child at any school until such district medical officer gives a certificate (for which no charge shall be made) that the child is fit to attend school.

(2) Where a notice under subsection (1) of this section is served on a parent of a child and such parent sends the child to any school or permits the child to attend any school during the period between the service of the notice and the giving of the certificate referred to in the said subsection such parent shall be guilty of an offence under this section and shall be liable on summary conviction thereof to a fine not exceeding five pounds.

Regulations for preventing the spread of infestation.

49. —(1) The Minister may make regulations prescribing precautions to be taken by the proprietors of and the persons working in any class of establishment from which, in the opinion of the Minister, there is an especial danger of the spread of infestation of persons and articles.

(2) Regulations made under this section shall not include provision for the compulsory cleansing or disinfestation of persons.

(3) Regulations under this section may provide for their enforcement and execution by officers of the Minister and by health authorities and their officers and may also, with the consent of the Minister for Local Government, provide for their enforcement and execution by officers of sanitary authorities.

(4) A person who contravenes a regulation under this section or who wilfully obstructs the execution of a regulation under this section shall be guilty of an offence under this section and shall be liable on summary conviction thereof to a fine not exceeding ten pounds and, in the case of a continuing offence, to a further fine not exceeding one pound for each day on which the offence is continued.

Arrangements by health authorities for disinfestation of verminous persons, buildings, etc.

50. —(1) A health authority shall make arrangements for the disinfestation of—

(a) a verminous adult person on his application;

(b) a verminous child on the application of or with the consent of his parent;

(c) a verminous building or structure in their functional area on the application of the occupier of such building or structure, or

(d) a verminous vehicle, vessel, aircraft or article in their functional area on the application of the owner of such vehicle, vessel, aircraft or article or on the application of his agent.

(2) The disinfestation of females under this section shall be carried out only by a registered medical practitioner, or by a woman duly authorised by the chief medical officer of the health authority.

(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 51 of this Act no charge shall be made for the disinfestation of a person or of his clothing under this section.