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MULTILATERAL AGREEMENTS, 1776–1917

Article II. This notification is to be accompanied, or very promptly followed, by the following additional information:

  • (1) The neighborhood where the disease has appeared.
  • (2) The date of its appearance, its origin, and its form.
  • (3) The number of established cases, and the number of deaths.
  • (4) For plague: The existence among rats or mice of plague, or of an unusual mortality; for yellow fever: The existence of stegomyia fasciata in the locality.
  • (5) The measures taken immediately after the first appearance.

Article III. The notification and the information prescribed in Articles I and II are to be addressed to diplomatic and consular agents in the capital of the infected country; but this is to be construed as not preventing direct communication between officials charged with the public health of the several countries.

For countries which are not thus represented, they are to be transmitted directly by telegraph to the governments of such countries.

Article IV. The notification and the information prescribed in Articles I and II are to be followed by further communications dispatched in a regular manner in order to keep the governments informed of the progress of the epidemic.

These communications, which are to be made at least once a week, and which are to be as complete as possible, should indicate in detail the precautions taken to prevent the extension of the disease.

They should set forth: First, the prophylactic measures taken relative to sanitary or medical inspection, to isolation and disinfection; Second, the measures taken relative to departing vessels to prevent the exportation of the disease, and, especially under the circumstances mentioned in paragraph 4 of Article II of this section, the measures taken against rats and mosquitoes.

Article V. The prompt and faithful execution of the preceding provisions is of the very first importance.

The notifications only have areal value if each government is warned in time of cases of plague, cholera or yellow fever and of suspicious cases of those diseases supervening in its territory. It cannot then be too strongly recommended to the various governments to make obligatory the declaration of cases of plague, cholera or yellow fever, and of giving information of all unusual mortality of rats and mice especially in ports.

Article VI. It is understood that neighboring countries reserve to themselves the right to make special arrangements with a view of organizing a service of direct information between the chiefs of administration upon the frontiers.