Epidemics Act

1. What is Epidemic Disease?

• A widespread outbreak of an infectious disease; many people are infected rapidly at the same time.
• Examples: bird flu, swine flu, SARS, plague, Japanese encephalitis, cholera.

2. Present Legal framework for dealing with Epidemic disease

• right now we’ve The Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 but it is outdated and toothless when dealing with situations of public emergency.
• It does not empower us to take relevant screening measures at airports or push through public health measures in an emergency situation. With many known diseases acquiring more virulent drug resistant forms, the present law is grossly inadequate to deal with such situations.
• When Public health officials try culling of chicken with flu or isolation of anthrax-affected animals, many a times the farmers and villagers start protesting and obstructing the work. This Epidemic Disease act doesn’t help, so officials use CrPC 144.
• Similarly  public health measures like quarantine of those coming from yellow fever endemic countries are undertaken under IPC 188.

3. What is Public Health (Prevention Control Management of Epidemics, Bioterrorism and Disasters) Bill?

• Government  wants this new law to replace the outdated Epidemic Disease Act of 1897.
• This new bill includes provision for up to seven years’ jail term and up to Rs 5 lakh fine for somebody obstructing public health officials during a health exigency.
• For example, owner of a poultry farm, which has birds afflicted by H5N1 virus, creating problems in culling of his birds, could be charged under these sections.