The Public Health (Ships) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008

PART 1 N.I. PLAGUE

A. Infected ships and suspected ships N.I.

1.  The medical officer may—

(a) require any suspected person on board to be disinsected and place him under surveillance, the period of surveillance being reckoned from the date of arrival of the ship;

(b) require the disinsecting and, if necessary, disinfection of the baggage of any infected or suspected person, and of any other article on board and any part of the ship which the medical officer considers to be contaminated.

Commencement Information

I1 Sch. 3 Pt. 1 para. 1 in operation at 21.8.2008, see reg. 1

2.  If there is any rodent infected with plague on board, the medical officer or other authorised officer shall require the ship to be deratted in a manner to be determined by him, but without prejudice to the generality of this requirement the following special provisions shall apply to any such deratting:—

(a) the deratting shall be carried out as soon as the holds have been emptied or when they contain only ballast or other material, unattractive to rodents, of such a nature or so disposed as to make a thorough inspection of the holds possible;

(b) one or more preliminary derattings of a ship with the cargo in situ, or during its unloading, may be carried out to prevent the escape of infected rodents;

(c) if the complete destruction of rodents cannot be secured because only part of the cargo is due to be unloaded, a ship shall not be prevented from unloading that part, but the medical officer or other authorised officer may apply any measure which he considers necessary to prevent the escape of infected rodents, including placing the ship in quarantine;

(d) notwithstanding sub-paragraphs (a) a Ship Sanitation Control Exemption Certificate may be issued for an oil tanker with full holds.

Commencement Information

I2 Sch. 3 Pt. 1 para. 2 in operation at 21.8.2008, see reg. 1

3.  On arrival of a ship having on board a person suffering from pulmonary plague, or if there has been a case of pulmonary plague on board a ship within the six days before its arrival, the medical officer may—

(a) carry out the measures set out in paragraph 1;

(b) require any person on board to be placed in isolation for six days reckoned from the date of the last exposure to infection.

Commencement Information

I3 Sch. 3 Pt. 1 para. 3 in operation at 21.8.2008, see reg. 1

B. Ships which have been in areas infected with plague N.I.

4.  The medical officer may—

(a) place under surveillance any suspected person who disembarks, the period of surveillance being reckoned from the date of the departure of the ship from the infected area;

(b) regard as suspected any person not isolated for 6 days before departure from an area with an epidemic of pulmonary plague;

(c) require, in exceptional circumstances and for well founded reasons, the destruction of rodents on the ship and disinsecting, but he shall give the master notice in writing of the reasons for the requirement.

Commencement Information

I4 Sch. 3 Pt. 1 para. 4 in operation at 21.8.2008, see reg. 1