Requirement to notify infectious disease
(1) Every adult occupant of any house in which any infectious disease appears, and every person in charge of, or in the company of, and every person not being a medical practitioner attending on, any person suffering from or who has died of an infectious disease
shall, upon becoming aware of the existence of such disease, with the least practicable delay notify the officer in charge of the nearest district health office or government health facility or police station or notify the nearest village head of the existence of such disease.
(2) Every medical practitioner who treats or becomes aware of the existence of any infectious disease in any premises shall, with the least practicable delay, give notice of the existence of the infectious disease to the nearest Medical Officer of Health in the form prescribed by regulations made under this Act.
(3) The person in charge of any boarding-house shall, with the least practicable delay, notify the officer in charge of the nearest district health office or government health facility or police station if he knows or has reason to believe that any person in the boardinghouse is suffering from or has died of an infectious disease.
(4) Any police officer or village head receiving notification under this section shall, with the least practicable delay, notify the officer in charge of the nearest district health office or government health facility.
(5) Any person who contravenes this section commits an offence.
(6) When any person is charged under this section, he shall be presumed to have known of the existence of the infectious disease or to have had reason to believe that an infectious disease existed, unless he shows to the satisfaction of the Court before which he is charged that he did not know and could not with reasonable diligence have obtained knowledge of the infectious disease or that he did not have reason to believe that an infectious disease existed. Declaration of an infected local area
(1) If the Minister is satisfied that there is an outbreak of an infectious disease in any area in Malaysia, or that any area is threatened with an epidemic of any infectious disease, he may, by order in the Gazette, declare such area to be an infected local area.
(2) The Minister may, by regulations made under this Act, prescribe the measures to be taken to control or prevent the spread of any infectious disease within or from an infected local area.
(3) During the continuance in force of an order made under subsection (1), it shall be lawful for any authorized officer to direct any person or class or category of persons living in an infected local area or in any part thereof to subject himself or themselves—
(a) to treatment or immunization;
(b) to isolation, observation or surveillance, the period of which being specified according to circumstances; or
(c) to any other measures as the authorized officer considers necessary to control the disease.
(4) It shall be lawful for an authorized officer to use such force, with or without assistance, as may be necessary and to employ such methods as may be sufficient to ensure compliance with any direction issued under subsection (3).
(5) Any person who refuses to comply with any direction issued under subsection (3) commits an offence. Infected persons not to act in a manner likely to spread infectious disease
(1) No person who knows or has reason to believe that he is suffering from an infectious disease shall expose other persons to the risk of infection by his presence or conduct in any public place or any other place used in common by persons other than the members of his own family or household.
(2) No person who knows or has reason to believe that he is suffering from any infectious disease specified in Part II of the First Schedule shall do any act which he knows or has reason to believe is likely to lead to the spread of such infectious disease.
(3) Any person who contravenes this section commits an offence.
(4) This section shall not apply to any person whose presence or conduct in such place as mentioned in subsection (1) is necessary for the purpose of obtaining medical treatment.
Control of contaminated articles and infected animals
(1) No person who knows or has reason to believe that any article is contaminated or that any animal is infected or contaminated shall give, lend, sell, transmit, use or expose such article or animal without prior disinfection.
(2) Any person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence.
(3) This section shall not apply to any person who transmits, with proper precautions, any article or animal for the purpose of having it disinfected. Isolation of infected persons and suspects
An authorized officer may cause any person who is infected or whom he has reason to believe to be infected to be removed to a quarantine station for treatment and may detain the person at the station until he can be discharged without danger to the public. Observation or surveillance of contacts
(1) An authorized officer may order any contact to undergo observation in such place and for such period as he may think fit, or to undergo surveillance until he may be discharged without danger to the public.
(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), an authorized officer may use such force as may be necessary to ensure compliance with his order. Order for examination of corpse
Whenever an authorized officer suspects that a person has died of an infectious disease, he may order the corpse to be conveyed to such place as he may appoint for such examination as he may consider necessary. Disposal of the dead
(1) Where—
(a) a person has died or is suspected to have died of an infectious disease; and
(b) an authorized officer has given directions as to the manner in which the corpse of such person is to be buried or cremated, no person shall bury or cremate such corpse otherwise than in accordance with the directions of the authorized officer.
(2) Any person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence. Disinfection and closure of premises
(1) If an authorized officer has reason to believe that there has been a person with an infectious disease on any premises, or that there exist on any premises conditions likely to lead to the outbreak or spread of any infectious disease, he may do any or all of the following:
(a) examine or cause to be examined any person found on the premises with a view to ascertaining if the person is suffering or has been suffering from an infectious disease;
(b) examine the premises and any article or animal on the premises with a view to ascertaining if they are contaminated or infected, as the case may be;
(c) order the premises or any part thereof to be disinfected, disinsected and deratted;
(d) order the premises or any part thereof to be closed until the premises have been thoroughly disinfected, disinsected and deratted;
(e) order the disinfection of all contaminated articles and infected or contaminated animals on the premises or, if such article or animal is incapable of being thoroughly disinfected, order its destruction;
(f) do any other act to prevent the outbreak or the spread of any infectious disease.
(2) An authorized officer may at any time enter any premises for the purpose of exercising the powers conferred upon him by subsection (1).
Destruction of structures
(1) A Medical Officer of Health may order the destruction of any structure where a case of infectious disease has occurred if the structure is incapable of being thoroughly disinfected.
(2) The Medical Officer of Health shall report to the Director General every order made under subsection (1). Selling or letting contaminated buildings
(1) Where an authorized officer is satisfied that there is or has been a case of infectious disease in any building and that it is necessary so to do, he may issue an order prohibiting any person from selling or letting such building or any part thereof without the certificate in writing of an authorized officer certifying that such building, or part thereof, and articles therein—
(a) have been disinfected to the authorized officer’s satisfaction; or
(b) need not be disinfected, as the case may be.
(2) Any person who contravenes any order issued under subsection
(1) commits an offence.
(3) For the purpose of this section, “letting” includes the admission of any person into a boarding house as a paying lodger. Power to order disinfection of certain vehicles
Where an authorized officer is satisfied that any vehicle has been used to convey any person suffering from an infectious disease, the authorized officer may cause such vehicle to be disinfected.
Source: Laws of Malaysia, Attorney General's Chambers of Malaysia (lom.agc.gov.my). Not a copy of the Gazette printed by the Government Printer (Interpretation Acts 1948 and 1967, s 61).
