Chap. 276.—An ACT to amend and re-enact Section 1497 of the Code of Virginia,
relating to the duties of local health authorities and of the State Board of Health
upon the occurrence of certain diseases. [H B 357]

Approved March 20, 1942

1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia, That section
fourteen hundred and ninety-seven of the Code of Virginia be amended
and re-enacted, as follows:

Section 1497. Duties of local health authorities; when State Board
may take charge.—lIt shall be the duty of the local health authorities of
the cities, towns and counties of the State to report weekly to the State
Board of Health all cases of infectious, contagious, communicable or
dangerous diseases which have occurred under their jurisdiction, except
that it shall be their duty to report immediately any case or cases of
smallpox, yellow fever, cholera, typhus fever, bubonic plague, botulism,
epidemic encephalitis, poliomyelitis, or psittacosis that may occur within
their jurisdictions. Whenever there shall occur in any city, town or county
an outbreak of suspected food poisoning or an unusual prevalence of
diarrhea, gastroenteritis, enteritis, colitis, entercolitis, cholera nostras,
cholera infantum or other disease in which diarrhea is a prominent
symptom, or whenever jaundice, epidemic influenza, glandular fever, sore
throat or any undiagnosed febrile disease is unusually prevalent, it shall
be the duty of the health officer to report immediately the existence of
such an outbreak to the State Board of Health. Local health officers shaH
exercise due diligence in ascertaining the existence of such outbreaks or
the unusual prevalence of such diseases. If any case of infectious, con-
tagious, communicable or dangerous diseases be reported as existing in
any locality in the State, the State Board of Health shall, if in their judg-
ment it be necessary, investigate said disease. It shall then confer with
the local health authorities and make such suggestions as it may deem
proper. If these suggestions are not carried out, and the disease is, in
the judgment of the State Board of Health, in danger of spreading to
another city, town or county, the State Board of Health, or its executive
officer, subject to the action of said Board, shall have the right to assume
exclusive control of the disease, the isolation thereof, and the quarantine
of suspects, and have such powers in connection therewith as are con-
ferred by law on the local health authorities, and the said executive offi-
cer may make and enforce such regulations as he may deem proper, sub-
ject to the action of said Board, to stamp out or prevent the further
spread of the disease. He may also, subject to the action of said Board,
appoint such officers and agents as he may deem necessary to accomplish
such purposes and fix their duties and compensation. The officers and
agents so appointed shall be duly sworn, and shall have the power to
make arrests and to exercise all the other powers of policemen or con-
stables. All the powers hereinafter conferred upon the secretary shall be
exercised by him in subordination to and subject to the action of the
State Board itself, which is hereby invested with full power in the prem-
ises to make such regulations and take such action as may in its judgment
be necessary to regulate, control, and eradicate all such contagious dis-
eases.