The Public Health (Aircraft) Regulations 1979

Examination, etc., of persons on aircraft

8.—(1) The medical officer may, and if so requested by the commander or required by the Secretary of State shall examine any person on board or leaving an aircraft at a customs airport, when there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that—

(a) the person is suffering from an infectious disease;

(b) the person has been exposed to infection from an infectious disease;

(c) the person is verminous.

(2) The authorised officer may—

(a) detain any such person for such examination at a place appointed for the purpose;

(b) require the clothing and other articles belonging to any person so examined to be disinfected and, where necessary, disinsected and any person found to be verminous to be disinsected;

(c) except as provided in regulation 21, prohibit any person so examined from leaving the aircraft or airport, or permit him to leave it on such conditions and subject to the taking of such measures, under these regulations, as the medical officer considers reasonably necessary for preventing the spread of infection; and

(d) require the commander to take or assist in taking such steps as in the opinion of the medical officer are reasonably necessary for preventing the spread of infection, for disinfection and the destruction of vermin, and for the removal of conditions on the aircraft likely to convey infection, including conditions the existence of which might facilitate the harbouring of insects or vermin.

(3) The medical officer or other authorised officer or a customs officer may, and if so required by the Secretary of State shall, require any person on board or leaving an aircraft at a customs airport to produce a valid International Vaccination Certificate.

(4) A customs officer or other authorised officer may detain until the arrival of the medical officer or for three hours, whichever is the shorter period, any such person who has been required to produce such a certificate and is unable to do so.

(5) Where any such person fails to satisfy the medical officer that he possesses such a certificate, the medical officer may detain him for examination at a place appointed for that purpose, and may apply in his case the additional measures mentioned in paragraphs (1) and (2) of Part IV of schedule 2.

(6) The medical officer, customs officer or other authorised officer shall immediately notify the responsible authority of any directions given to him by the Secretary of State under this regulation.