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WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANT~
REGIONAL OFFICE FOR
THE WESTERN PACIFIC
BUREAU R~GIONAL DU PACIFIQUE OCCIDENTAL P. O. Box 2932, MANILA
REGIONAL COMMITTEE Thirteenth Session Manila 20-25 September 1962 Agenda Item 13 ARRANGEMENTS UNDER ARTICLE 104 OF THE INTERNATIONAL SANITARY REGUIATIONS
WP/RC13/7 Add.l 18 September 1962 ORIGINAL; ENGLISH
The Regional Director has the honour to present herewith copy of a memorandum which was received from the Chief Medical Officer, International Quarantine, Division of Communicable Diseases, WHO Hea4quarters, relating to the arrangements under Article 104 of the International Sanitary Regulations. It was considered that it would be of interest to the Committee to review this memorandum as during the meeting for the exchange of information on El Tor vibrio paracholera, held in Manila in April 1962, it was agreed that bilateral or multilateral arrangements under Article 104 of the International Sanitary Regulations might serve a useful purpose to facilitate application of these Regulations. Copies of this memorandum have been sent by WHO Headquarters to all Member countries in this region.
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WP/RC13/7 Add.l page 1 "ARRANGEMENTS UNDER ARTICLE 104, INTERNATIONAL SANITARY REGUIATIONS
1. At an April 1962 meeting in Manila called by the Regional Director, Western Pacific Regton (WHO) for exchange of information on cholera E1 Tor, it was agreed that bilateral or multilateral arrangements under Article 104 of the International Sanitary Regulations might serve a usefUl purpose to facilitate the application of these Regulations. WHO was asked to assist in drawing up such possible arrangements.
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2. The provisions of Article 104 (see Annex A attached) in paragraph 2 clearly state that any arrangements made "shall not be in conflict with the provisions of these Regulations. If Thus the sanitary measures of any arrangements shall not exceed those given in the Regulations. 2.1 However, when considering the provisions of Article 100 (sanitary documents which may be required) and Article 46 (sanitary measures against goods) attention is invited to the interpretation of Article 46 given by the WHO Committee on International Quarantine - an interpretation subsequently approved by the World Health Assembly (see footnote page 26, Second Annotated Edition, International Sanitary Regulations, 1961 and Annex B attached) • 3. One direct result of resolution WHAl5.38 (see page 253, Week+y epidemiological Record No. 21, 1962 dated 25 May) is that States and territories have:obligations under the International Sanitary RegulatiOns, to notify WHO of cholera El Tor - see especially Articles 3-6 and 9. 3.1 WHO has the obligation~ under Article 11, to disseminate to all health administrations this information received. This is done by means of the Geneva Wee14~:!:demiol0B..:!-c!3._U~.9ord (WER), the daily epidemiological radio-telegraphic bulletin and by telegrams from Geneva to countries. 3.1.1 The Geneva WER, published each Friday, is up-to-date as of 1800 hours local time (1100 GMT) on Thursday. All copies destined for addressees outside Geneva have left Geneva by Friday night. A continuing check with airmail services is made to ensure that wrapped copies of the ~TER come out of the Distribution unit to catch the first available airmail service. 3.2 It will be appreciated that WHO can only disseminate the information it has received. Notifications on cholera El Tor are becoming more up-to-date in recent weeks. 4. Arrangements between States and territories might be concerned with any of the following items : 4.1 Exchange of information: Copies of weekly comnunicable disease report~ could be sent to any given number of neighbouring States and territories; such exchange might be limited to sending copies only when cholera El Tor (or any other quarantinable disease)
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WP/RC13/7 Add.l page 2
is present in a State or territory. When a newly infected local area becomes known the provisions of Article 3 apply; a copy of the telegram. despatched to WHO in Geneva could be sent to neighbouring States and territories (India and Ceylon have this type of arrangement - see page 102, WER No.8, 1962). (When a quarantinable disease is notified in an area where it has been long absent, WHO Geneva customarily informs neighbouring involved countries by telegram). Attention is invited to advantages of the WHO Codepid for telegrams). Copies of detailed reP9F~~ required by provisions of Articles 4 and 5 could be sent to colleagues in neighbouring areas. Information on known contacts travelling internationally could be exchanged. However, in this connexion it is important to remember the prOvisions of Article 30 (non-export of quarantinable diseases). Information in detail on any infected ship/aircraft could and should be provided next port-of-ca11. In connexion with Article 14, it could be agreed that special attention will be given to these prOVisions, e.g., carriers being informed where pure drinking water and safe food can be obtained. 4.2 Q.arriage of goods : Agreement might be reached that certain goods, especially those not mentioned in Article 68, will be admitted without subjecting them to sanitary measures - it being agreed at the same time that the State or territory exporting the goods will ensure that the goods are not contaminated by agents of infection. Agreement might be reached that for goods mentioned in Article 68, the health administration of the area of export will issue a certificate of disinfection. Such agreement might include goods other than those mentioned in Article 68 (see footnote Article 46 - Annex B). Agreement might be reached on a list of goods which, under certain circumstances, will not be exported or permitted to be imported, that is certain or all of the goods mentioned in Article 68 and under the conditions therein stated. ~
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5. It is suggested that the easiest way to begin inter-country cooperation in this field is to start exchange of periodic communicable disease reports even on an informal basis. 6. If this Office can be of assistance in any way it will be a pleasure to do so. II
WP/RC13/7 Add.l page 3/4 ANNEX A
Article 104 - International Sanitary Regulation~ 1. Special arrangements may be concluded between two or more States having certain interests in cammon owing to their health, geographical, social or economic conditions, in order to facilitate the application of these Regulations, and in particular with regard to : a) the direct and rapid exchange of epidemiological information between neighbouring countries; b) the sanitary measures to be applied to international coastal traffic and to international traffic on inland waterways, including lakes; c) the sanitary measures to be applied to contiguous territories at their cammon frontier; d) the combination of two or more territories into one territory for the purposes of any of the sanitary measures to be applied in accordance with these Regulations; e) arrangements for carrying infected persons by means of transport specially adopted for the purpose. 2. The arrangements referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article shall not be in conflict with the prOVisions of these Regulations. 3. States shall inform the Organization of any such arrangement which they may conclude. The Organization shall send immediately to all health administrations information concerning any such arrangement.
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WP/RC13/7 Add.l page 5 ANNEX B
Footnote to Article 46, International Sanitary Regulation~, Annotated Edition, 196~
The issue of a certificate of disinfection of merchandise which is the subject of trade between two countries can be governed by bilateral agreements between the exporting and the importing countries. A number of agreements of this kind are in force, under which the exporting country furnishes a certificate that disinfection has been carried out before the loading of the merchandise. Such a certificate is not compulsory where merchandise emanates from an infected country, but the exporter may furnish the importer, at his request, vTi th a certificate attesting disinfection of the merchandise before export. The duty of the health authority at the port of export is to take all practicable measures under the terms of paragraph 2 (b) of Article 30 to prevent the introduction on board a ship, an aircraft, a train or a road vehicle of possible agents of infection or vectors of a quarantinable disease. Whenever disinfection has been carried out by the health authority, it is required to furnish a certificate to that effect, if requested to do so, in accordance with the terms of paragraph (b) of Article 26. If no sanitary measures have been carried out, the implication is that the health authority did not consider them necessary,but it is not re~uired under Article 26 to furnish a certificate to that effect. {Off. Rec. WId Hlth Org. 56, 47).
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