S.I. No. 23/1966 - Infectious Diseases (Certificates of Vaccination Against Smallpox) Regulations, 1966.


S.I. No. 23 of 1966.

INFECTIOUS DISEASES (CERTIFICATES OF VACCINATION AGAINST SMALLPOX) REGULATIONS, 1966.

The Minister for Health, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by section 31 of the Health Act, 1947 (No. 28 of 1947) hereby makes the following Regulations :—

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Infectious Diseases (Certificates of Vaccination against Smallpox) Regulations, 1966).

2. These Regulations shall come into operation on the first day of February, 1966.

3. In these Regulations :

" the Minister " means the Minister for Health ;

" appropriate regulations " means—

(a) as respect a ship and persons on board or (disembarking therefrom, the Infectious Diseases (Shipping) Regulations, 1948 ( S.I. No. 170 of 1948 ) ;

(b) as respect an aircraft and persons on board or disembarking therefrom, the Infectious Diseases (Aircraft) Regulations, 1948 ( S.I. No. 136 of 1948 ) ;

" chief medical officer " includes any medical officer of a health authority to whom has been assigned the duty of operating the provisions of these Regulations ;

" International Sanitary Regulations " means the International Sanitary Regulations (World Health Organisation Regulations, No. 2) adopted by the Fourth World Health Assembly on 25th May, 1951 and amended by the Eighth, Ninth, Thirteenth, Sixteenth and Eighteenth World Health Assemblies.

4. (1) Where a ship or aircraft arrives in the State from a place outside the State (being a place to which the Minister has directed that this article shall at the time apply) the chief medical officer or another officer with authority to enforce the appropriate regulationsmay and, if required by the Minister, shall require any person on board or disembarking whose journey commenced in such a place to produce a certificate of vaccination or re-vaccination against smallpox which is in the form laid down in, and which is in comformity with the rules as to validity contained in, Appendix 4 to the International Sanitary Regulations.

(2) An officer (other than a chief medical officer) enforcing sub-article (1) of this article may detain until the arrival of the chief medical officer or for three hours, whichever is the shorter period, any such person disembarking as aforesaid who has been required to produce such a certificate and is unable to do so.

(3) Where any such person disembarking fails to satisfy the chief medical officer that he possesses such a certificate, the chief medical officer may detain him for examination and may apply in his case any of the measures which may be applied under the appropriate regulations in the case of a person arriving on an infected ship or aircraft.

5. In the case of a ship or aircraft which has commenced its voyage in the State, or in Northern Ireland, Great Britain, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, Belgium, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg or the Netherlands and has not during its voyage called at a place which is not in any of these territories, the provisions of article 4 of these Regulations shall not apply save where the Minister has directed that the exercise of the powers or the performance or the duties conferred or imposed by that article is necessary on account of danger to public health.

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister for Health this 31st day of January, One Thousand Nine Hundred and Sixty-six.

DONOGH O'MALLEY,

Minister for Health.

The Minister for Finance consents to the enforcement and execution of these Regulations by officers of customs and excise.

Dated this 31st day of January, 1966.

JOHN LYNCH,

Minister for Finance.

The Minister for Justice consents to the enforcement and execution of these Regulations by immigration officers and members of the Garda Síochána.

Dated this 31st day of January, 1966.

BRIAN LENIHAN,

Minister for Justice.

The Minister for Transport and Power consents to the enforcement and execution of these Regulations by officers of the Minister for Transport and Power at a Customs-free airport.

Dated this 31st day of January, 1966.

ERSKINE H. CHILDERS,

Minister for Transport and Power.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

The regulations require any person on board or disembarking from a ship or aircraft, whose journey commenced in a place to which the regulations at the time apply, to produce a certificate of vaccination or re-vaccination against smallpox and if such person fails to satisfy the chief medical officer that he possesses such a certificate he may be detained for examination and other appropriate measures.