Download Part 5 — Dangerous Infectious or Contagious Diseases

Part 5 — Dangerous Infectious or Contagious Diseases
Isolation of persons having dangerous disease
79 The health officers of a municipality, or the local board of a municipality or health
district, or any committee of them, may
(a) isolate any person who has smallpox or any other disease dangerous to
public health, and
(b) cause to be posted up on or near the door of any house or dwelling in which
the person is a notice stating that the disease is in the house or dwelling.
Householder to notify health officials of contagious or infectious disease
80 (1) If any householder knows or suspects, or has reason to know or suspect, that
any person in his or her family or household has a contagious or infectious disease, he
or she must, within 24hours of the time the disease is known or suspected to exist,
give notice of it to the medical health officer of the municipality or health district in
which he or she resides.
(2) The notice referred to in subsection(1) must be given either at the office of the
medical health officer or by a communication addressed to the medical health officer
and mailed within the time specified in subsection(1), and if there is no medical
health officer, then to the local board.
(3) A householder who refuses or neglects to give notice under subsection(1) is
subject to the penalties provided by section104.
No removal of infected person, clothing or effects
81 A householder in whose dwelling there occurs any contagious or infectious disease
must not permit
(a) any person suffering from the disease, or
(b) any infected clothing or other property,
to be removed from the house, without the consent of the local board or of the
medical health officer, and the local board or medical health officer must specify the
conditions of the removal.
Removal of infected persons subject to control of health officers
82 (1) A person who is sick with any contagious or infectious disease must not be
removed at any time except by permission and under direction and supervision of the
local board or medical health officer or attending physician.
(2) An occupant of any house in which there exists any contagious or infectious
disease, except typhoid fever, must not change his or her residence to any other place
without the consent of the local board or of the medical health officer or attending
physician, who must in either case specify conditions as aforesaid.
Physicians to notify health authorities of contagious diseases
83 (1) If a physician knows or suspects, or has reason to know or suspect, that a
person he or she is called on to visit is infected with smallpox, scarlet fever,
diphtheria, typhus or typhoid fever, cholera, measles, whooping cough, mumps or any
other contagious or infectious disease, the physician must, within 24hours after the
knowledge or suspicion is acquired, give written notice of it to the medical health
officer of the municipality or health district in which the diseased person is, and if
there is no medical health officer, then to the local board.
(2) A physician who refuses or neglects to give notice under subsection(1) is subject
to the penalties provided by this Act.
Precautions against spreading infection or contagion
84 If smallpox, scarlet fever, diphtheria, cholera or any other contagious or infectious
disease dangerous to public health is found to exist in any municipality, health district
or rural area, the health officers or local board must
(a) use all possible care to prevent the spreading of the infection or contagion,
and
(b) give public notice of infected places by those means that in their judgment
are most effective for the common safety.
Exposed person not to go at large
85 A person affected with smallpox, scarlet fever, diphtheria or cholera, and a person
who has access to any person affected with any of those diseases, must not mingle
with the general public until the regulations made under this Act in that behalf and the
sanitary precautions as may be specified by the local board have been complied with.
Removal of infected persons from public conveyances
86 (1) If there is reason to suspect that a person who has smallpox, diphtheria, scarlet
fever, cholera or typhoid fever is in or on any railway car, steamboat, sailing vessel or
other public conveyance, the medical health officer, if there is one, or any member of
the local board, or any person authorized in that behalf by the minister or the local
board, either generally or for the special purpose, may enter the conveyance and
cause the person to be removed from it and may detain the conveyance until it is
properly disinfected, or the officer or member may, if he or she thinks fit, remain on
or in the conveyance, with any assistance he or she may require, for the purpose of
disinfecting it.
(2) The authority of the officer or member as a health officer continues in respect of
the person and conveyance, even though the conveyance is taken into another
jurisdiction.
Isolation of infected persons
87 If a person coming from abroad, or residing in a municipality, or health district or
rural area in British Columbia, is infected, or lately before his or her arrival has been
infected with or exposed to any of the said diseases, the health officers or local board
where the person is may make effective provision in the manner which to them seems
best for public safety, by removing the person to a separate house, or by otherwise
isolating the person if it can be done without danger to his or her health, and by
providing nurses and other assistance and necessaries for the person at the person's
own cost and charge, or at the cost of his or her parents or other person or persons
liable for his or her support, if able to pay it, or if the other person or persons are
unable to pay it, then at the cost and charge of the local board, or in a rural area at the
cost of the government, to be paid, with the approval of the Minister of Finance, out
of money voted by the Legislature available for the purposes of this Act.
Persons isolated to be disinfected
88 (1) A person recovering from any of the said diseases, or a nurse who has been in
attendance on any person suffering from any such disease, must not leave the
premises where the person suffering from the disease is, at any time, until they have
received from the attending physician or medical health officer a certificate that in his
or her opinion they have taken precautions as to their persons, clothing and all other
things that they propose to take from the premises necessary to ensure the immunity
from infection of other persons with whom they may come in contact, and further
complied with any regulations made under this Act in that behalf.
(2) A person referred to in subsection(1) must not expose himself or herself in any
public place, shop, street, inn or public conveyance without having first obtained the
certificate and complied with the regulations.
Disinfection measures
89 A person referred to in section 88 must adopt, for the disinfection and disposal of
excreta and for the destruction and disinfection of utensils, bedding, clothing and
other things that have been exposed to infection, measures prescribed under this Act
or specified by the medical health officer, or in the event of no measures having been
prescribed under this Act or specified by the medical health officer, then measures
required by the attending physician.
Infected conveyances
90 The owner or person in charge of any conveyance who has conveyed in it any
infected person must not, after the entry of an infected person into his or her
conveyance, allow any other person to enter until he or she has sufficiently
disinfected it under the direction of the local board, or under the supervision of the
medical health officer or public health inspector.
Disinfection of clothing and effects
91 A person must not give, lend, transmit, sell or expose any bedding, clothing or
other article likely to convey any of the aforesaid diseases without having first
complied with the regulations made under this Act as to disinfection and otherwise in
that behalf.
Premises and apparatus for disinfection
92 (1) A local board may provide a proper place or portable furnace, with all
necessary apparatus and attendance, for the disinfection of bedding, clothing or other
articles that have become infected.
(2) A local board may cause the articles referred to in subsection(1) to be disinfected
free of charge, or may make reasonable charges for the disinfecting of the articles, as
may be provided by bylaw in municipalities, or, if there is no such bylaw, and in rural
areas, by regulations made under this Act.
Destruction of infected effects
93 A local board may direct the destruction of any bedding, clothing or other articles
that have been exposed to infection, and compensation may be given for the articles
by the proper authority.
Disinfection of infected premises
94 (1) A person must not let or hire any house or room in a house in which a case of
smallpox, cholera, scarlatina, diphtheria, whooping cough, measles, glanders or other
contagious or infectious diseases has recently existed, without having caused the
house and premises used in connection with it to be disinfected to the satisfaction of
the medical health officer, or, if there is no medical health officer, of the local board.
(2) For the purposes of this section, the keeper of an inn or house for the reception of
lodgers is deemed to let for hire part of a house to any person admitted as a guest into
the inn or house.
Information as to premises
95 A person who lets for hire, or shows for the purpose of letting for hire, any house
or part of a house, on being questioned by any person negotiating for the hire of the
house or part of a house as to the fact of there previously having been in it any person
suffering from any infectious disorder, or any animal or thing infected by any
infectious disorder, must not knowingly make a false answer to the questions.
Municipality may establish hospital
96 (1) A municipality may establish or erect and maintain one or more hospitals for
the reception of persons having smallpox or any other infectious or contagious
disease that may be dangerous to public health.
(2) Any 2 or more municipalities may join in establishing, erecting or maintaining a
hospital described in subsection(1).
(3) A hospital described in subsection (1) must not be erected by one municipality
within the limits of another municipality without first obtaining the consent of the
other municipality to the proposed erection.
Regulations to govern infectious disease hospitals
97 If a hospital is established under section96, the physician attending the hospital, or
the sick in it, the nurses, other employees and all persons who approach or come
within the limits of the hospital, and all furniture and other articles used or brought
there, are subject to the regulations made under this Act.
Emergency provisions for treatment of infectious and contagious disease
98 (1) If smallpox or any other infectious or contagious disease dangerous to public
health breaks out in a municipality or rural area, the health officer or local board, if a
hospital or hospital tent has not already been provided, must immediately provide a
temporary hospital, hospital tent or other place of reception for the sick and infected
as the officer or board judges best for their accommodation and the safety of the
inhabitants, at the cost of the municipality, if in a municipality, or in a rural area at
the cost of the proper authority.
(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), the health officer or local board may
(a) erect a hospital tent, hospital or place of reception,
(b) contract for the use of any such hospital or part of a hospital or place of
reception, whether inside or outside the same jurisdiction, or
(c) enter into an agreement with the person who has the management of any
hospital, for the reception of the sick inhabitants of the district, on payment of
the annual or other sum to be agreed on,
or 2 or more local boards may combine in providing a common hospital.
Regulations to govern emergency hospitals
99 The hospital or place of reception is subject to regulations made by the Lieutenant
Governor in Council.
Force may be used in carrying out this Act or health regulations
100 If a local board or a health officer is required or empowered under this Act, or
any Act relating to public health, or under any regulations made under those Acts, to
disinfect any person or thing or to isolate any person, the local board or health officer
may use the force and employ the assistance necessary in order to accomplish what is
required.
Constables and all persons bound to assist health authorities
101 A local board, or any member of it, or any medical health officer or public health
inspector may, when obstructed in the performance of his or her duty, call to his or
her assistance any constable or other person he or she thinks fit, and every constable
or person called on must render assistance.