Stop the deportation of infectious diseases

It would a breach of International Law to knowingly place someone on an air plane/boat/train who may have an infectious disease, which may be contagious.

Port authorities must be informed of any person who might be carrying an infections disease whether entering or leaving a country. Each port authority will have a resident medical doctor and most major airlines will have their own health assessment teams.

If an individual/solicitor/case worker knew that someone with a contagious disease were being placed on a plane/boat/train, it would be incumbent on that person to notify the Port authority or chief medical officer of the airplane/boat/train.

Are you supporting someone with Removal Directions who may have an infectious disease and may be contagious?

The below info may be of interest …

The airline carrying the deportee may not have been made aware of the deportee's medical condition, and it may not be known if the deportee's removal would breach any regulations or guidelines.  You may want relevant organisations to note the below and request them to act as appropriate.

World Health Organisation and Aerospace Medical Association on medical conditions and air travel -
In its guidelines, British Airways state that the World Health Organisation (WHO) prohibits an airline from carrying a passenger suffering from an infectious disease whilst they are contagious, and that it is an International Health Regulation.  Contraindications for air travel include "any serious or acute contagious disease".  "Airlines require medical clearance by the medical department/adviser of the airline if there is an indication that a passenger may be suffering from any disease or physical or mental condition that may …Adversely affect the welfare and comfort of the other passengers and/or crew members … Be considered a potential hazard to the safety of the aircraft … Be aggravated by the flight".  "Airlines reserve the right to refuse to carry passengers with conditions that may be exacerbated or cause serious consequences during the flight".  "If cabin crew suspect, before departure, that a passenger may be ill, the aircraft's captain will be informed and a decision taken as to whether the passenger is fit to travel, needs medical attention, or presents a danger to other passengers or the safety of the aircraft"

World Health Organisation - "Transmission: Infection is usually by direct airborne transmission from person to person".  "In a few instances, the tubercle bacillus (the organism that causes tuberculosis) has been transmitted to passengers seated close to a traveller suffering from tuberculosis. …To avoid any risk of infecting others … people with contagious diseases should not travel by air"

Aerospace Medical Association - "Because the aircraft cabin is a confined space and flights may be of many hours duration, there is the risk of a contagious disease being passed from one passenger to another. This can occur when an infected passenger releases organisms into the air by breathing, coughing or sneezing. The risk of such person-to-person contact of course is much greater for those passengers sitting next to or very near the passenger with the illness. …. There have been some incidents of disease transmission inflight. These include the flu, measles, and tuberculosis (TB). …. Because the airlines cannot be expected to screen passengers for illness, the best prevention is postponement of air travel for anyone with a contagious disease, particularly a serious one such as TB"

British Airways Health Services Guidelines - Medical clearance is required when fitness to travel is in doubt, such as a result of recent illness or hospitalisation and is carried out by the British Airways Passenger Medical Clearance Unit in order to provide safe, healthy travel. British Airways guidelines say that medical conditions requiring pre-flight medical evaluation include infectious diseases and that medical clearance depends upon self-declaration by the passenger - the deportee may not have had an opportunity to declare their illness to British Airways or which ever airline is carrying them (other airlines may have equivalent or similar procedures) and may not be sure if this has been done on their behalf.

Useful websites
British Airways - http://www.britishairways.com/travel/healthmedcond/public/en_gb#13

British Airways Health Services - www.britishairways.com/health/docs/before/airtravel_guide.pdf

World Health Organisation - http://www.who.int/ith/chapter02_03.html#2

World Health Organisation - http://www.who.int/ith/chapter02_04.html#13

World Health Organisation - http://www.who.int/ith/chapter05_09.html#tuberculosis

Aerospace Medical Association - http://www.asma.org/publication.html

The Association of Port Health Authorities  - http://www.apha.org.uk/copdwidoa.htm#1

Useful fax numbers
British Airways Passenger Medical Clearance Unit            - fax 0208 738 9644
Communicable Diseases Surveillance Centre                - fax 0208 200 7868
Health Protection Agency London, Regional Director            - fax 0207 492 0482
North West London Health Protection Unit                - fax 01895 452050
The Association of Port Health Authorities, Heathrow, Shabeg Nagra    - fax 01895 250159

Request to defer forced removal - you may want to request the removal is deferred for further medical tests and/or treatment, and possibly further legal representations.

Source for this page:
NCADC