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No. 127/1942: THE VACCINATION REGULATIO
No. 127/1 942: THE VACCINATION REGULATION S, 1942 .
No. 127/1 942: THE VACCINATION REGULATION S, 1942 .
1942 36 STATUTO RY RUL ES AND O RDE RS. 1942. No . 127. TH E VACCINA TION REGULATION S, 194 2.
THE VACCINATION REGULATIONS, 1942.
DEPARTMENT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC HEALT
The Minister for Local Government and Public Health in exercise of the
powers vested in him by the Vaccination (Ireland) Acts, as defined in an
as applied and adapted by section 87 of the Local Government Act, 1941
and of all other powers in this behalf enabling him, does hereby make th
following regulations, that is to say :—
1. These Regulations may be cited as the Vaccination Regulations, 1942
2. These Regulations shall come into operation on the commencement o
section 87 of the Local Government Act, 1941.
3. In these Regulations—
the expression " the Minister " means the Minister for Local Governmen
and Public Health ; and the expression " the vaccination authority " mea
an urban sanitary authority or rural sanitary authority, as the case may
require.
4. The duties in relation to vaccination of a medical officer of health of
dispensary district shall be as follows, that is to say :—
(1) To attend at such convenient place within each vaccination district i
his dispensary district as may be approved of by the vaccination authori
at such times as may be fixed or approved of by such authority for the
purpose of vaccinating all persons who may come to him, or whom he m
be requested to vaccinate, being fit subjects for vaccination ; and to do
perform all such other acts and things as may be necessary for the purpo
of causing such vaccination to be successfully terminated.
(2) To observe in the performance of vaccination the instructions as to
vaccination set forth in the Second Schedule to these Regulations.
(3) To keep and duly enter up a register, in the Form No. 1 in the First
Schedule to these Regulations, of all cases of successful vaccination
performed by him ; and to submit the same to the vaccination authority
and when required ; provided however, that in any case where the medic
officer of health of the dispensary district is also the registrar of births an
deaths for the district, it shall not be necessary for him to insert in the sa
vaccination register any cases which he may have duly entered in the
register of vaccination which he is required to keep in pursuance of sect
7 of the Vaccination (Ireland) Act, 1863.
(4) To make the report, which he is required by section 3 of the
Vaccination Act of 1858 to make to the vaccination authority of all
persons successfully vaccinated by him, not less frequently than once in
each half-year, in the Form No. 2 in the First Schedule to these Regulatio
(5) To keep the vaccination register open at all reasonable times to
inspection by any member or authorised officer of the vaccination
authority.
(6) To give to any person making application therefor a copy certified un
his hand of any entry or entries in the vaccination register, which is not,
are not, required to be made in the register of vaccination which he is
required to keep in pursuance of section 7 of the Vaccination (Ireland) A
1863, on payment of the fee of two shillings for each certificate, which s
include a fee for any search made by him.
(7) To forward to the vaccination authority on the 31st day of March, 30
day of June, 30th day of September, and 31st day of December, in each
year, a report in the Form No. 3 in the First Schedule to these Regulation
of the names of all children, not previously reported by him to the
vaccination authority, registered as born in the district, who are over thr
months of age and who do not appear to have been vaccinated and of an
such children who have been so reported and are subsequently successfu
vaccinated by him.
(8) To furnish a report to the Minister in such form and at such times as
Minister may prescribe on the performance of vaccination in his district
5. A medical officer of health shall not re-vaccinate a person applying fo
the purpose save where :—
(1) the marks of the primary vaccination are not, in the opinion of the
medical officer, sufficiently numerous, distinct, and typical to afford the
necessary protection against small-pox ; or
(2) the person, although well vaccinated primarily, has attained the age
ten years, or, if there be an immediate danger of small-pox, the age of se
years ; or
(3) the person has not before been successfully re-vaccinated ; or
(4) there are no circumstances present which would render the operation
undesirable.
Given under the Official Seal of the Minister for Local Government and
Public Health this Twenty Second day of May, One Thousand Nine
Hundred and Forty-two.
(Signed) SEAN MacENTEE.
Minister for Local Government
and Public Health.
FIRST SCHEDULE.
FORM NO. 1
VACCINATION REGISTER
............................................................(1)
............................................................Dispensary District
REGISTER OF CASES OF SUCCESSFUL VACCINATION AND R
VACCINATION.
If a
child,
Name of Age at time
Date of
Residence
name
Name of
person
of
successful
at tie of
and
person
Date of first
successfully vaccination
Number
vaccination vaccination residence
successfully
vaccination
reor reor reor reof father,
vaccinated
vaccinated vaccination
vaccination vaccination mother,
or person
in charge
Number
of entry
of
child's
birth in
the
register
of
births
Si
m
of
h
an
o
(1)Insert name of sanitary district.
FORM NO. 2.
REPORT OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH IN PURSUANCE
SECTION 3 OF THE VACCINATION (IRELAND) ACT, 1858, OF TH
NUMBER OF PERSONS SUCCESSFULLY VACCINATED BY HIM.
To the........................................(1)
................................................Dispensary District
I hereby certify that as medical officer of health of the above-mentioned
Dispensary District I have, between the dates........................................
and........................................duly and successfully
vaccinated..............................persons.
(Signature) ........................................
Medical Officer of Health.
Date...................., 19......
FORM NO. 3.
To the........................................(1)
........................................Dispensary District
VACCINATION OF CHILDREN.
Report of medical officer of health for quarter ended......................... day
of........................................19......
PART I.
Report of all children, not previously reported to the vaccination authority
in the above Dispensary District, who are over three months of age, and w
not appear to have been vaccinated.
Number
on
register
Name and residence of
Date when notice under
Name Date
parent or person
section 8 of the
of
of
having the care,
Observations
Vaccination (Ireland)
child birth nurture, or custody of
Act, 1863, was given
the child
Number of children reported in return for preceding quarter..............................
NOTE.—In any case in which the medical officer of health may be aware of the reason
why the child has not been vaccinated, he should state it in the column for observations ;
and in any case in which a certificate has been given that the child is not in a fit state for
vaccination, or is insusceptible of the vaccine disease, the fact should be stated.
(1) Insert name of vaccination authority
PART II.
Report of all children born in the above Dispensary District and entered in previous
returns as not having been vaccinated, who have been successfully vaccinated during
the quarter.
Number
on
register
Name and residence of
Date when notice under
Name Date
parent or person
section 8 of the
of
of
having the care,
Observations
Vaccination (Ireland)
child birth nurture, or custody of
Act, 1863, was given
the child
(Signed........................................
Medical Officer of Health.
Date..............................
(1) Insert name of vaccination authority.
SECOND SCHEDULE.
INSTRUCTIONS AS TO VACCINATION.
(1) In all ordinary cases of primary vaccination the vaccinator must aim at producing
not less than two and not more than four separate vesicles, not less than three-quarters of
an inch from one another. The area of each vesicle should not be less than a quarter of an
inch square.
(2) Except so far as any immediate danger of smallpox may require, the vaccinator
should vaccinate only subjects who are in good health. As regards infants, he should
ascertain that there is not any febrile state ; nor any irritation of the bowels ; nor any
unhealthy state of skin ; especially no chafing or eczema behind the ears, or in the groin ;
or elsewhere in folds of skin. He should not, except of necessity, vaccinate in cases
where there has been recent exposure to the infection of measles, chickenpox or
scarlatina, nor when erysipelas or any other streptococcal infection is prevailing in or
about the place of residence.
(3) The vaccinator must keep in good condition the lancets or other instruments which
he uses for vaccinating, and he must not use them for any other purposes whatever.
When he vaccinates he must cleanse and sterilize the instruments after one operation
before proceeding to another.
(4) All vaccinations should be performed with vaccine lymph supplied by the Vaccine
Branch of the Department of Local Government and Public Health
(5) Each requisition to the Vaccine Branch for vaccine lymph should be limited to the
quantity estimated as being required by the vaccinator within a period of seven days.
A requisition for the supply of vaccine lymph, as a standing order, at regular intervals
will not be accepted by the Vaccine Branch.
(6) On receiving the supply of vaccine lymph the tubes should, until required for actual
use, be stored by the vaccinator in a cool, dark place, such as the iron safe provided for
the registration records, or the tubes should be placed in a room or apartment without a
fire and protected from any appreciable changes of temperature. The supply should be
used within seven days of its receipt, and any tubes remaining over for a longer period
than a week should not be used for vaccinations, but instead should be returned to the
Vaccine Branch.
(7) The vaccine lymph should never carried about by the vaccinator in his pocket, as
even the heat of the body is injurious to the active properties of lymph.
(8) When once the vaccinator has unsealed a tube of vaccine lymph he must never
attempt to keep any part of its contents for the purpose of vaccination on a future
occasion. The contents of one tube of lymph should not be used on more than one child.
(9) Under no circumstances should the mouth be applied directly to the tube in which the
vaccine lymph is contained for the purpose of expelling the lymph. An artificial blower
(to be had from the contractor for medical supplies) should be used for this purpose. The
lymph may be blown out of the capillary tube on to a clean lancet or directly on to the
infant's arm.
(10) Vaccination should at every stage be carried out with aseptic precautions. These
should include :—1st—the washing of operator's hands ; 2nd—the cleansing of the
surface of the skin before vaccination, by washing it well with plain soap and sterilized
water, afterwards rubbing the part with absorbent cotton steeped in rectified or
methylated spirit, and then drying it with a piece of clean absorbent cotton or sterilized
towel—a germicide should not be used ; and care should be taken in making the incision
or scratches not to draw blood ; 3rd—carefully washing the tubes with sterilized water
before opening them to obtain vaccine ; 4th—the use of sterilized instruments ; 5th—the
protection of the vaccinated surface against extraneous infection by applying an aseptic
pad after the performance of the operation, which pad should be kept in position until the
eight ; and 6th—by washing the vesicles with sterilized water, on inspection of the
results, and then dusting them with boric powder and applying an aseptic vaccination
pad, which should be removed in four days, and the part dusted with boric powder until
the crusts fall off.
Advice as to the precautions to be taken in this respect until the crusts have fallen off and
the arm has healed should always be given to the person having the custody of the child.
(11) The vaccinator should scrupulously observe in his inspection every sign which may
test the efficiency and purity of the vaccine lymph. He should note any case wherein the
vaccine vesicle is unduly hastened or otherwise irregular in its developments, or wherein
any undue local irritation arises ; and if similar results ensue in other cases vaccinated
with the same lymph he should desist at once fom employing it.
(12) If vaccination with vaccine lymph fails, the infant should be vaccinated with
vaccine lymph taken from a fresh supply. In the event of a second failure, the facts should
be reported to the Department of Local Government and Public Health.
(13) Should a few tubes from any individual supply of lymph prove inert or otherwise
defective the vaccinator should forthwith discontinue the use of that supply and report
the facts to the Director of the Vaccine Branch, sending him back the unused tubes.
(14) The vaccinator should keep a careful record of his vaccination, and the source of
the vaccine lymph used. The results form respecting each supply of lymph should be
filled up and returned by the vaccinator within three weeks to the Director of the
Vaccine Branch. Results forms should not be used for ordering supplies of lymph.
(15) Application for supplies of the vaccine lymph should be made direct to the Director
of the Vaccine Branch and should state the number of infants and adults to be
vaccinated, and the name of the dispensary district ; supplies will be furnished whenever
required, and a medical officer should, therefore, keep as small a quantity as possible in
stock.
Note.—Letters to the Vaccine Branch should be addresses as follows :—
THE DIRECTOR,
Vaccine Branch,
Department of Local Government and Public Health,
University of College,
Earlsfort Terrace,
Dublin.
MEMORANDUM IN RELATION TO THE VACCINATION ACTS.
VACCINATION AUTHORITY.
(i) By virtue of section 87 of the Local Government Act, 1941, which applies and adapts
the enactments therein refered to as the Vaccination Acts, the vaccination authority is
the sanitary authority of each sanitary district, that is, as respects each county or other
borough, the corporation of the borough ; as repects each county health district, the
county council of the county in which the county health district is situate ; and as respects
an urban county district, the urban district council. The vaccination officer is the medical
officer of health of a dispensary district.
ENACTMENTS RELATING TO VACCINATION.
Vaccination Acts.
The enactments relating to vaccination comprise the following :—
Vaccination (Ireland) Act, 1858,
Vaccination (Ireland) Act, 1863,
Vaccination (Amendment) (Ireland) Act, 1868,
Vaccination (Amendment) (Ireland) Act, 1879,
Section 147 of the Public Health (Ireland) Act, 1878, and
Section 87 of the Local Government Act, 1941.
The principal provisions of these enactments are as follows :—
Vaccination districts and attendance of medical officers of health.
(ii) Division of dispensary districts into districts, and duty of medical officers of health.
(a) The vaccination authority shall divide each dispensary district into vaccination
districts, and shall require the medical officer of health of the district to attend at some
convenient place within each vaccination district at certain specified times to vaccinate
all persons who may come to him for that purpose, and who are fit subjects for
vaccination. (Section 1 of Act of 1858).
NOTE.—With regard to the particular periods of the year for attendance at the
vaccination stations it is important that they should be fixed by the vaccination authority
(after consultation with the medical officer of health if necessary), that they should be at
intervals of not more than three months, and that they should be duly notified to the
public.
Medical Officers of health to report number of persons successfully vaccinated or revaccinated.
(b) The medical officer of health is to make a report to the vaccination authority from
time to time of the numbers of persons successfully vaccinated or re-vaccinated by him
in each year, to be made in such form and contain such particulars as the Minister for
Local Government and Public Health shall direct, and to be recorded by the vaccination
authority of their minutes (Section 3 of Act of 1858 and section 6 of Act 1879).
Children to be vaccinated within three months after birth.
(iii) Compulsory Vaccination.
(a) The parent or guardian of every child born after the 15th August, 1879, or the person
having the care and nurture of such child is bound within three months or as soon
afterwards as may be practicable, to take the child to the dispensary for vaccination,
unless it shall have been previously vaccinated by some duly qualified medical
practitioner, and the vaccination duly certified. (Section 3 of Act of 1879).
Inspection after vaccination
(b) On the same day of the week following the day on which the child has been
vaccinated, the child shall be again taken to the medical officer of health by whom the
operation has been performed, in order that he may ascertain by inspection the result of
the operation. (Section 4 of Act of 1879).
Penalty for neglect.
(c) A penalty not exceeding 20s. for neglecting to take a child to be vaccinated or to be
inspected after vaccination is imposed by section 7 of the Act of 1879.
(iv) Certificates.
Certificate of successful vaccination to be given to parents or guardians and duplicate to
be transmitted to registrar.
(a) A certificate of successful vaccination in a prescribed form is to be delivered by the
medical officer of health (or practitioner), who shall have performed the operation, to the
father or the mother of the child, or to the person having the care or custody of the child.
A duplicate of this certificate is to be transmitted by the medical officer of health (or
practitioner) :—
(1) to the registrar of births and deaths of the district within which the birth was
registered;
(2) but if after due inquiry such district is not known to the medical officer of health (or
practitioner), or if the birth of the child has not been registered, the duplicate is to be
transmitted to the registrar of the district in which the operation was performed. (Section
5 of Act of 1879).
Penalty
A penalty of 20s. is imposed by section 8 of the Act of 1879 on the medical officer of
health or practitioner who fails to the perform this duty.
NOTE 1.—If the medical officer of health of any dispensary district is also the registrar
of births and deaths of that district, it shall be sufficient for him to sign one certificate to
be delivered to the father or mother or other person as aforesaid and to register the fact of
such vaccination in the manner provided by section 7 of the Act of 1863.
Same cases not to be entered in register prescribed by Vaccination Acts and that
prescribed by Vaccination Regulations 1942.
Note 2.—When a medical officer of health of a district is also the registrar of births and
deaths of such district, it is his duty when he vaccinates a person whose birth has been
registered in another district to forward a certificate of successful vaccination to the
registrar of the district in which the birth was registered, and it will be necessary for him
to enter the case in the vaccination register, Form No. 1 which he is required to keep by
Article 4(3) Vaccination Regulations, 1942, instead of entering it in the vaccination
register which is prescribed by section 7 of the Act of 1863.
Certificate of unfitness for vaccination.
(b) If a medical officer of health or practitioner is of opinion that any child is not in a fit
and proper state to be successfully vaccinated he may deliver a certificate to that effect,
in a form prescribed, to the father or mother or the person having the care or custody of
such child. This certificate is to remain in force for two months, and fresh certificates to
the same effect may be given if necessary (Section 4 of Act of 1863).
Certificate of insusceptibility of vaccine disease.
(c) If any medical practitioner is of opinion that any child who has been vaccinated by
him is insusceptible of the vaccine disease, he shall deliver to the father or mother or
person having the care of such child a certificate to that effect in a prescribed form.
(Section 6 of Act of 1863).
Register of successful vaccination to be kept.
(v) Duties of Registrar of Births and Deaths.
(a) He is to keep a register of cases of successful vaccination (Section 7 of Act of 1863),
the certificates of which have been transmitted to him by any medical practitioner.
(Section 5 of act of 1879).
The penalty for omitting to registrar vaccination is 20s. (Section 10 of Act of 1863).
Notice to parent and others of the requirements of vaccination.
(b) He is to give notice of the requirements of vaccination in a prescribed form to the
father or mother or person having the care of a child who has not been certified to him as
been vaccinated within three months after the birth thereof.
(Section 8 of Act of 1863 ; Section 3 of Act of 1879).
NOTE.—In prosecution of defaulters it will not be necessary to prove that the notice was
received by the defendant. (Section 9 of Act of 1879).
Transmission to medical officers of health of list of births and deaths.
(c) Every registrar for any place who is not the medical officer of health of the district is
to transmit once at least in every month to each medical officer of health whose district is
wholly or partially comprised in such place a return of all births and of all deaths of
infants under 12 months of age, which have since the date of the last return been
registered by such registrar as having occured in the district of the medical officer of
health to whom the return is sent. (Section 11 of Act of 1879).
NOTE.—Medical officers of health who are not registrars of births and deaths will thus
be enabled to make out the quarter return of vaccination defaulters (Form No. 3) to the
vaccination authority.
Rate of payment for successful cases of vaccination.
(vi) Miscellaneous provisions.
(a) The medical officer of health is entitled to be paid two shillings for every person
successfully vaccinated or re-vaccinated by him within his dispensary district, provided
he has made the required report to the vaccination authority. (Section of Act of 1879).
Direction of proceedings by vaccination authority ; and remuneration of medical officers
of health for attendance thereat.
(b) The vaccination authority shall direct proceedings to be instituted for the purpose of
enforcing obedience to the provisions of the Vaccination Acts of 1858 to 1879. The
medical officer of health of any dispensary district who may be required by the
vaccination authority to attend such proceedings, shall be entitled to receive, in addition
to his actual expenses, such sum, not exceeding one guinea for each day's attendance
required and given, as the Court shall certify ; these expenses, and all other expenses
incurred in the prosecution, which the court is of opinion should be allowed, are to be
ascertained and certified by the District Justice. (Section 10 of Act of 1879).
(c) A registrar or person appointed by the vaccination authority to enforce the
enactments relating to vaccination may on summons to the father, mother or person
having charge of the child apply to the District Court for an order directing the
vaccination of any unvaccinated child under the age of fourteen years.
The penalty for failure to comply with the order is 20s. (Section 147 of the Public Health
(Ireland) Act, 1878).)
(d) The practice of inoculation with small-pox virus (or the attempt to incoulate with such
virus) is made punishable by six months' imprisonment. (Section 4 of Act of 1868).
TEACHERS OF VACCINATION.
The authorised teachers of vaccination in Eire whose certificates of proficiency will be
accepted by the MInister for Local Government and Public Health are :—
(1) Dr. Colman Mansfield Saunders, 17 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin.
(2) Professor J. M. O'Donovan, 26 Wellington Road, Cork.
(3) Dr. Joseph MacHale, 11, The Crescent, Galway.
The requirement in regard to proficiency in vaccination applies to temporary as well as
permanent medical officers of health, and when nominating a temporary substitute, if
such substitute has taken out his diplomas subsequent to 1st May, 1906, a medical officer
of health should be careful to ascertain that he is fully qualified, as otherwise difficulty
might arise upon the temporary appointment being reported to the Department of Local
Government and Public Health.
COURSE OF INSTRUCTION IN VACCINATION.
The course of instruction in vaccination given by the authorised teachers extends over a
period of at least six weeks. Six attendances are required from each student, and four of
the attendances must be given in consecutive weeks. Before a certificate of proficiency is
granted the student must pass an examination in the subject of the lectures delivered by
the teacher during the course of instruction, and must also show practical knowledge and
skill in the performance of the operation of vaccination.
The programme of instructions is carried out under the following headings :—
1. The history of Jenner's discovery of vaccination with all particulars on the subject.
2. The enactments relating to vaccination.
3. Small-pox with special reference to the value of vaccination and re-vaccination in
preventing or modifying the disease.
4. Statistics showing the importance of the vesication areas in vaccination.
5. Practical demonstration of the various stages of the vaccine vesicle.
6. Instructions on the methods of vaccinating and dressing the patients' arms after
vaccination and on the eighth and subsequent days.
7. The methods of sterilizing the patients' arms. Instructions to pupils how to vaccinate
and permitting them to perform operations under personal supervision.
8. Explanations of the different vaccination instruments and vaccine blowers, and
methods of sterilizing them.
A fee of £1 1s. 0d. may be charged by an authorised teacher to each student for the course
of instruction, examination, and certificate.
Source: Irish Statute Book Database
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