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For the purposes of this article, the following words and phrases have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this section:
(1) ABSOLUTE ISOLATION includes: First, the confinement of the patient and attendants to one room or suite of rooms, to which none but authorized officers or attendants shall have admission; second, screening of room and entire house if necessary with not less than 16-mesh wire gauze; third, the prohibition of passing out of the sick room of any object or material until the same has been thoroughly disinfected; fourth, if, in the opinion of the director of public health the patient cannot be treated with reasonable safety to the public at home, the removal of the patient and contacts to a contagious disease hospital.
(2) ABSOLUTE QUARANTINE includes: First, absolute prohibitions of entrance to or exit from the building or conveyance except by officers or attendants authorized by the director of public health, and the placing of guards, if necessary, to enforce this prohibition; second, the posting of a warning placard bearing the name of the disease quarantined in letters not less than one inch high in a conspicuous place or places on the outside of the building or conveyance; third, the prohibition of the passing out of any object or material from the quarantined house or conveyance; fourth, provision for conveying the necessities of life, under proper restrictions, to those in quarantine.
(3) A CARRIER means a person who, without symptoms of a communicable disease, harbors and disseminates, or is likely to disseminate, the infectious agent of that disease.
(4) CLEANSING means the removal by scrubbing and washing of organic matter on which and in which micro-organisms may find favorable conditions for prolonging their life and virulence and the removal by the same means of micro-organisms adherent to the surface.
(5) COMMUNICABLE DISEASES means such diseases as are communicable through the conveyance of the infectious agent of the disease.
(6) COMPLETE DISINFECTION means disinfection during illness, under the direction of the director of public health, of a patient’s body, of all excretions or discharges of a patient, and of all articles of clothing and utensils used by a patient and, after recovery, death, or removal, the disinfection of walls, woodwork, furniture, bedding, and other items.
(7) CONTACT means a person who has been sufficiently near to an infected person or anything contaminated by an infectious agent to make possible the transmission of the infectious agent to the person.
(8) CULTURES means growths of micro- organisms in or upon artificial media. The material for culture is obtained from body fluids, secretions, or excreta and is used for the purpose of determining the presence of the infectious agent.
(9) DISINFECTION means the process of destroying the vitality of the disease-producing organisms by physical or chemical means.
(10) DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH or DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH means the city health officer.
(11) IMMUNES means persons having had the disease. Persons having a negative Schick test will be considered immune to diphtheria. Persons having had immune globulin for measles, toxoid for whooping cough, or vaccines for typhus and typhoid are not considered as being immune.
(12) INCUBATION PERIOD of a communicable disease means the interval that usually elapses between the time of the implanting of the specific pathogenic agent into the body of a susceptible person and the manifestation of the first symptoms of the disease.
(13) INFECTIOUS AGENT means a living micro-organism capable, under favorable conditions, of inciting a communicable disease. The words “germ,” “micro-organism,” “infectious agent” and “virus” are used interchangeably.
(14) ISOLATION means the separation of persons suffering from a communicable disease, or carriers of the infectious organism, from other persons in such places and under such conditions as will prevent the direct conveyance of the infectious agent to susceptible persons.
(15) MODIFIED ISOLATION includes: First, the confinement of the patient and attendants to one room or suite of rooms to which none but authorized officers or attendants shall have admission, but allowing the attendants to pass out of the room after disinfection of person and complete change of clothing; second, screening as provided in the definition of absolute isolation; third, the prohibition of passing any object or material out of the such room until it has been disinfected.
(16) MODIFIED QUARANTINE includes: First, prohibition of entrance and exit, an absolute quarantine except against certain members of the family authorized by the director of public health to pass in and out under certain definite restrictions; second, the placing of a placard as provided in the definition of absolute quarantine; third, isolation of the patient and attendant; fourth, prohibition of the carrying out of any object or material unless the same has been thoroughly disinfected.
(17) PARTIAL DISINFECTION means disinfection of discharges or excretions of patients and their clothing and the room or rooms occupied by the patients during illness.
(18) PERIOD OF COMMUNICABILITY means the time during which a person affected with a communicable disease is capable of transmitting the infectious agent to others.
(19) QUARANTINE means the confining of persons, animals, or materials within a designated area and excluding other persons, animals, or materials from such area.
(20) RENOVATION means, in addition to cleansing, such treatment of the walls, floors, and ceilings of rooms or houses as may be necessary to place the premises in a satisfactory sanitary condition. (Ord. Nos. 4404; 27697)
The following diseases are declared to be communicable through the conveyance of an infectious agent and must be reported: Anthrax; Asiatic cholera; botulism; bubonic plague; chancroid; chickenpox; conjunctivitis; acute infectious; dengue; diphtheria; dysentery, amebic; dysentery, bacillary, dysentery, unspecified; encephalitis; lethargica; food infections; German measles; glanders; gonorrhea; granuloma inguinale; hookworm; impetigo, contagiosa; influenza; leprosy; lymphogranuloma venereum; malaria; measles; meningitis, epidemic cerebrospina; mumps; ophthalmia, neonatorium; paratyphoid fever; pneumonia, bronchial; pneumonia, lobar; poliomyelitis, acute; psittacosis; rabies, human; rabies, animal; rat-bite fever; relapsing fever; rheumatic fever; Rocky Mountain spotted fever; salmonella infection; scabies; scarlet fever; septic sore throat; smallpox; syphilis; tetanus; trachoma; trichinosis; tuberculosis; tularemia; typhoid fever; typhoid carriers; typhus fever; undulant fever; Vincent’s angina; Weil’s disease; whooping cough; streptococcal sore throat; streptococcal tonsillitis; streptococcal nasopharnyitis; yellow fever, and other diseases which in the opinion of the director of public health may be communicable. (Ord. Nos. 4404; 5869)
Every physician shall report in writing and, when practicable, by an acknowledged telephone communication to the department of public health, within 12 hours after having seen, professionally, each person having or whom he suspects of having any communicable disease, as defined in Section 19-60 and enumerated in Section 19-61.
The attending physician is authorized and it is made his duty to place the patient under the restrictions of quarantine described in this section in the case of each respective disease. The following data are required: Date of onset; disease or suspected disease; patient’s name, age, sex and color; patient’s address; school attended or place of employment; occupation; number in household, adults and children; probable source of infection or origin of disease; if disease is smallpox, type, number of times successfully vaccinated (in typhoid fever also), and approximate dates; and, if typhoid fever, salmonellosis, tuberculosis, dysenytery, undulant fever, scarlet fever, diphtheria, acute anterior polio-myelitis, cerebro-spinal meningitis, or septic sore throat, was patient, or is any member of the household, engaged in the production or handling of milk or any other food directly; name and address of person making report, and date of same. Such report shall be made within 12 hours after the case comes under observation.
Every hotel proprietor or manager, keeper of a boardinghouse or head of a family, having knowledge of any person infected with or who is suspected of being infected with any of the diseases enumerated in Section 19-61 of this article, and every teacher or principal of any public, private or parochial school, having knowledge of a pupil, teacher or employee infected with or who is suspected of being infected with any of the diseases enumerated in such section, shall report same to the department of public health within 12 hours of the time of his first knowledge of the nature of such disease; provided, that should the case have been reported by the attending physician, no further report will be required.
Persons with the premonitory symptoms of whooping cough, whether positively diagnosed as such or not, must be reported to the department of public health by the attending physician, by acknowledged telephone communication or in writing, within 24 hours of the time the patient is first seen. Conclusive proof that the case is suspected of being whooping cough by the attending physician will consist of his having advised the patient, its parent or guardian, as to the treatment of whooping cough; or of his having stated to the patient, its parent or guardian that he suspects whooping cough; or of his having administered pertussis vaccine, or any other treatment for whooping cough.
Whenever a person suspected of having any contagious disease as defined in Revised Civil Statutes, Section 4477, or in Section 19-60 and enumerated in Section 19-61, is reported to the department of public health, the director of public health shall investigate same and if unable to make a diagnosis, shall placard the house with a placard bearing the words “Suspected Contagious Disease Within,” and shall institute the type of quarantine applicable to the disease suspected until such time as diagnosis is made, or until the case is declared no longer contagious.
Whenever a physician is called to attend a patient who is suffering with diphtheria (membranous croup), he shall report the same to the department of public health by acknowledged telephone communication within one hour of the time the patient is first seen. If the attending physician suspects diphtheria, to the extent that he administers or advises the administration of a diphtheria anti-toxin, he shall report same to the department of public health by acknowledged telephone communication within one hour of the time the anti-toxin is administered or advised to be administered. (Ord. 4404)
(a) The director of public health shall secure material for cultures, or specimens for bateriological or other laboratory examinations to assist in determining the diagnosis whenever in his judgment such procedure is necessary, and any person, when so requested by him or his authorized representative, shall permit such specimen to be taken.
The director of public health, or his representative, is hereby given authority to inspect all bacteriological or clinical laboratories in the city in which material from persons affected with communicable diseases is examined.
Whenever an examination for diagnosis by a laboratory or any person other than the physician in charge of the person from whom a laboratory specimen is taken discloses the existence of a case of communicable disease, the person in charge of the laboratory making the examination shall report all the facts, including the name and address of the patient, to the department of public health within 24 hours of the time diagnosis is made.
Persons in charge of laboratories shall make such reports to the department of public health as the director of public health may require.
(b) The director of public health, or his representatives, are hereby given authority to inspect all blood banks and blood transfusion services in the city (and blood banks and blood transfusion services in adjoining county towns whenever blood and blood derivatives are imported for use within the city limits) to determine compliance with current standards of blood banking and blood transfusion services established by the Division of Biologics Standards of the National Institutes of Health, the American Association of Blood Banks and the Dallas County Medical Society, and compliance with rules and regulations which might be adopted by the state department of health. The director of public health may require one or more experts in the field of blood banking to assist him, in an advisory capacity, in the inspection of any blood bank.
The director of public health shall be informed of existing and proposed blood banking and blood transfusion services within the community and shall offer rules and regulations for the location and construction of the blood bank, including plumbing, heating, refrigeration, lighting, ventilation, electrical services and all sanitary conditions and general hygiene which shall insure the conduct and operation of the blood bank in a manner which will protect the public health.
The organization of new blood banking and blood transfusion services and the modification of existing ones shall have, in the interest of public health and safety, the approval of the department of public health and of the Dallas County Medical Society (or the Dallas County Osteopathic Society if it pertains to an osteopathic institution). In order to secure such approval, blood banking and blood transfusion services shall have as responsible medical director a physician licensed by the state board of medical examiners. If any change occurs in the location, the licensed physician supervision or directorship of the blood bank, or upon the discovery of a reportable communicable disease or other condition injurious to the health, safety and welfare of the public, the director of such blood bank shall inform or report such occurrence to the director of public health within 48 hours. (Ord. Nos. 4404; 11452)
The teacher, principal or president of any school, college, university of Sunday school having under his care any pupil who appears to be affected by any communicable disease shall promptly send such pupil home or separate him from other pupils until examined by a physician. The teacher, principal or president shall report the case in accordance with Section 19-62.
In the event of the presence of any disease as specified in Section 19-61, the director of public health may cause to be examined any pupils, teachers or other persons employed in the schools, and may take any measures necessary to prevent the spread of disease. All school authorities and employees shall conform to all rules and regulations of the department of public health for the accomplishment of this end.
Children having scarlet fever, diphtheria, acute poliomyelitis or smallpox, and their contacts, may return to school only after presentation to the principal of a certificate of freedom from disease signed by the director of public health or his authorized representative. Children having had other diseases may return only after presenting to the principal a certificate of freedom from disease signed by the attending physician or the director of public health, or after it is determined that the minimum period of isolation prescribed in Section 19-71 for the disease the child had is completed. In cases where the director of public health has had to exercise his discretion in quarantining, the authorization to return to school must be given by the director of public health, or his authorized representative. When in doubt concerning any case, the school principal may require that release certificates be signed personally by the director of public health or assistant director of public health.
No superintendent, principal or teacher of any school, and no parent or guardian of any child or minor, shall permit any such child or minor having head lice or body lice to attend any public, private, parochial or Sunday school until such child or minor shall have obtained a certificate from the department of public health or from a private physician attesting to his freedom from lice. (Ord. Nos. 4404; 5869)
If any principal, school teacher, superintendent, or other person in charge of any school or otherwise connected with any school willfully attempts to obstruct or interfere with the director of public health or any authorized person assisting in carrying out the provisions of this article, he shall be guilty of an offense. (Ord. Nos. 7802; 19963)
Domestic servants and employees must secure the medical certificate provided for in Chapter 17 before entering upon their duties or before continuing their duties as such domestic servants or employees, and they shall pay the same fees as provided for in Chapter 17, “Domestic servant”. “Domestic servant” as used herein means any servant or employee in any home or private residence engaged in the usual and customary household duties, such as cooking, cleaning and caring for or tending children. (Ord. 7804)
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