The Public Health (Ships) Regulations 1979

Infected places in England and Wales

34.  Where the Secretary of State has, by notice published in the London Gazette, declared any place to be infected with a disease subject to the International Health Regulations or with any other disease which in his opinion constitutes a menace to other countries by reason of its spread or potential spread, then, until the notice is revoked by a subsequent notice published in the London Gazette, every medical officer shall comply with any requirement which may be made by the Secretary of State for preventing the spread of the disease, and in particular (but without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing provision) the following provisions of this regulation shall operate in relation to any ship departing from any district specified by the Secretary of State for a destination, whether final or intermediate, outside the United Kingdom:—

(a) an authorised officer, if so required by the Secretary of State, shall require a valid vaccination certificate from departing travellers. In the absence of such a certificate the medical officer may offer vaccination to any such traveller and may apply the provisions of regulation 33(c);

(b) the medical officer may, and within three hours after receiving a request from the master so to do shall, medically examine any person who proposes to embark on or is on board the ship;

(c) the authorised officer may require any part of the ship which in his opinion may be infected to be cleansed and disinfected to his satisfaction;

(d) an authorised officer shall inspect any clothing, bedding or other article which is on, or is intended to be taken by any person on the ship and which, in the opinion of the officer, may have been exposed to infection and may require the disinfection or destruction of any such clothing, bedding or article, and the master shall disclose to the authorised officer any relevant circumstances;

(e) no person shall take or cause to be taken on board the ship any article which, in the opinion of an authorised officer, is capable of carrying infection unless that officer is satisfied that it has been efficiently disinfected and, where necessary, disinsected;

(f) if any part of a district is included in the said notice in the London Gazette and is therein declared to be infected with plague, and if there is reason to believe that there are rodents on the ship, the authorised officer may, and if so required by the Secretary of State shall, take steps to secure the deratting of the ship.