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Internationally Notifiable Diseases (Prevention) Act

Chapter 73

Repealed
This Act was repealed on 2009-07-01 by Public Health Act, 2009.
Internationally Notifiable Diseases (Prevention) Act
Citation
Chapter 73
Date
31 July 2002
Language
English
Type
Act
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Tanzania

Internationally Notifiable Diseases (Prevention) Act

Chapter 73

  • Published in Tanzania Government Gazette
  • Commenced on 10 April 1964
  • [This is the version of this document at 31 July 2002.]
  • [Note: This legislation was revised and consolidated as at 31 July 2002 and 30 November 2019 by the Attorney General's Office, in compliance with the Laws Revision Act No. 7 of 1994, the Revised Laws and Annual Revision Act (Chapter 356 (R.L.)), and the Interpretation of Laws and General Clauses Act No. 30 of 1972. All subsequent amendments have been researched and applied by Laws.Africa for TANZLII.]
  1. [Repealed by Public Health Act, 2009 (Act 1 of 2009) on 1 July 2009]
[Act No. 3 of 1964; R.L. Cap. 547]An Act to prevent the introduction and spread of internationally notifiable diseases.

1. Short title

This Act may be cited as the Internationally Notifiable Diseases (Prevention) Act.

2. Interpretation

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—"authority" means any person appointed under section 3 to be an authority in any area of Tanzania for the purposes of this Act, and where powers under this Act have been delegated under that section to any person that person shall, in the exercise of such powers, be deemed to be an authority;"endemic area" means any country, region, place or area declared under section 4 to be an endemic area for the purposes of this Act;"incubation period" means the incubation period specified in relation to a notifiable disease in the Schedule;"infected area" means any country, region, place or area declared under section 4 to be an infected area for the purposes of this Act;"medical observation" means the isolation or detention of a person for the purposes of medical examination;"medical surveillance" means the keeping of a person under medical supervision;"Minister" means the Minister responsible for health;"notifiable disease" means a disease specified in the Schedule;"prescribed period" means such period as may be prescribed by regulations made under section 13 as the period during which vaccination against any notifiable disease shall be deemed to remain effective;"suspected person" means a person who is known to have recently been or is suspected by the authority of having recently been, in an endemic area or an infected area;"unimmunised person" means a suspected person who is unable to satisfy the authority that—(a)he is immune from the notifiable disease by reason of a previous attack of that disease; or(b)he has been vaccinated against that notifiable disease within the prescribed period;"vaccination" means inoculation with vaccine to procure immunity from a notifiable disease.

3. Minister may appoint authorities

(1)The Minister may appoint any person to be an authority in any area in Tanzania for the purposes of this Act.
(2)Any person appointed under subsection (1) to be an authority may, in writing, delegate the exercise of all or any of his functions under this Act to any other person.

4. Declaration of endemic and infected areas

(1)The Minister may, by order–
(a)declare any country, region or place outside Tanzania in which he has reasonable cause to believe that a notifiable disease exists or has existed in a form recognisable clinically, biologically or pathologically, to be an endemic area or an infected area for the purposes of this Act;
(b)declare any area within Tanzania in which a notifiable disease exists or has existed in a form recognisable clinically, biologically or pathologically, to be an endemic area or an infected area for the purposes of this Act.
(2)Every order under this section shall have effect, notwithstanding it shall not have been published in the Gazette, upon the making thereof or at such later time as may be specified.
(3)The Minister shall give notice in the Gazette of every order made under this section and of the variation and revocation.

5. Restriction on leaving infected areas

No person shall enter or leave an infected area in Tanzania without the prior permission of the authority for that area.

6. Restriction on entering Tanzania from endemic area

(1)Every person who enters or seeks to enter Tanzania from any endemic area shall, if he so enters or seeks to enter within the incubation period of a notifiable disease endemic to that area (such period being calculated from the date when he last left such area), report in person to the nearest authority.
(2)An authority may require any suspected person upon entering Tanzania to report to him in person.
(3)An authority may prohibit the disembarkation of any unimmunised person from the aircraft, vehicle or vessel in which such person has arrived in Tanzania or may prohibit the entry into Tanzania of any such person.

7. Observation, etc., of suspected persons

Any suspected person—
(a)may be kept under medical observation or surveillance for such period not exceeding fourteen days as the authority may direct;
(b)shall submit to such medical examination and to such disinfection and disinfestation of his person and belongings as the authority may direct.

8. Requirements for persons under medical observation, etc.

(1)No person shall, while under medical observation, leave the place where he is isolated or detained without the prior permission of the authority.
(2)Every person shall, while under medical surveillance, remain within such area as the authority may specify and shall attend for medical examination at such places and times as the authority may direct.

9. Disinfection of conveyance

An authority may, if it considers it necessary to prevent the spread of any notifiable disease, cause any aircraft, vessel or vehicle which has arrived in Tanzania to be disinfected or disinfested and such aircraft, vessel or vehicle may be detained until such disinfection or disinfestation has been completed to the satisfaction of the authority.

10. Liability in respect of disinfection of person or conveyance

(1)Where any aircraft, vessel or vehicle arrives in Tanzania and either—
(a)the authority directs that any suspected person who is or was a passenger on such aircraft, vessel or vehicle be kept under medical observation or surveillance or be disinfected or disinfested; or
(b)the authority causes such aircraft, vessel or vehicle to be disinfected or disinfested,
the person in charge of such aircraft, vessel or vehicle and the owner and agent in Tanzania shall be jointly and severally liable to pay to the Government all expenses incurred by the Government in connection with such medical observation or surveillance or such disinfection or disinfestation.
(2)The amount of such expenses as are referred to in subsection (1) shall be recoverable by suit brought in the name of the authority in any court of competent jurisdiction.

11. Communication of information regarding notifiable diseases

(1)Every person who has reasonable cause to suspect that any person in Tanzania is suffering from a notifiable disease shall communicate such information to the nearest authority.
(2)Every person within Tanzania shall when so required by an authority give such information and produce such evidence as he may possess for the purpose of tracing the source or preventing the spread of any notifiable disease.

12. Post-mortem examination

Where an authority has reasonable cause to suspect that any person has died of a notifiable disease, he may perform or cause to be performed such examination of the body of such person, including autopsy, as he may consider necessary, and may cause the body to be removed to a mortuary or other suitable place for the purpose of post-mortem examination, and thereupon it shall be lawful for the authority or other person authorised by him in that behalf to perform a post-mortem examination of the body.

13. Regulations

(1)The Minister may make regulations—
(a)prescribing the prescribed period in respect of vaccination against any notifiable disease;
(b)requiring persons or any specified class or description of persons within any specified area to be vaccinated;
(c)providing for the establishment, maintenance and supervision of places for the detention and isolation of unimmunised persons and of persons infected with a notifiable disease;
(d)providing for the registration of persons and vehicles within infected areas;
(e)prescribing the measures to be taken within any specified area to prevent the spread of, or to eradicate, any notifiable disease;
(f)prescribing anything which is to be or may be prescribed under this Act;
(g)generally for the better carrying into effect of the purposes of this Act.
(2)Regulations under subsection (1) may prescribe penalties for the contravention not exceeding a fine of one thousand shillings or imprisonment for a period of three months or to both.

14. Offences

Any person who–
(a)obstructs any authority acting in the course of his duties under this Act; or
(b)wilfully disobeys or fails to comply with any order or direction given by an authority in the exercise of his powers under this Act; or
(c)wilfully contravenes or fails to comply with the provisions of section 5, 6(1), 8 or 11, shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding one thousand shillings or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding three months or to both.

15. Amendment of Schedule

The Minister may, by order published in the Gazette, make additions to or deletions from and may otherwise vary the list of notifiable diseases contained in the Schedule.

16. Repeal of R.L. Cap. 97

[Repeals the Yellow Fever Ordinance.]

Schedule (Section 2)

Notifiable diseaseIncubation period
Cholera6 days
Plague6 days
Relapsing Fever (louse borne)8 days
Smallpox14 days
Typhus (louse borne)14 days
Yellow Fever6 days
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History of this document

01 July 2009
31 July 2002 this version
Consolidation
10 April 1964
Commenced