lNTERNATIONAJ.. SANITARY CONVENTION. JUNE 21, 1926. ent Conven\ion or to the prinoipal publio health authorities of these countries, and the telegrams transmitted by these Governmenta and by these authorities under this Convention, are treated like State telegrams and enjoy the priority aocorded to such telegrams by Article V of the International Telegraphic Convention of July 10/22, 1875. ARTICLE 4. 2557 The notification and the information contemplated in Articles Notices, etc., a s t~ • • progress of the epI- 1 and 2 shall be followed by subsequent commurucatlOns sent reg- demic. ularly to the International Office of Public Hygiene 80 as to keep the Governments informed of the progress of the epidemic. These communications, which shall be as freq'.lent and as com- Deteils, etc. plete as possible and shall take place at least once a week with regard to the number of cases and deaths, shall indicate in particular the precautions adopted with a view to preventing the spread of the disease. They shall specify the measures enforced upon the depar- ture of vessels to prevent exportition of the disease, and espeCIally the measures taken with regard to rats or insects. ARTICLE 5. The Governments undertake to reply to any request for informa- H~ueeggomPublla tion which is made to them by the International Office of Public mene ceo Hy~ene in regard~o e,pidemic diseases mentioned in the Convention, which occur in their territory, and in regard to circumstanees likely to affect the transmission of these diseases from one country to another. ARTICLE 6. Since rats 1 are the principaJ. agents by which bubonio plague is at~le1oalJ~~vislonarel spread, the Governments undertake to make use of all means in their power to diminish this danger and oonstantly to keep themselves informed of the condition of the rats in their ports as re~ards plague infection, by frequent and periodical examinations; and In particular to oarry out the systematic collection and the bacteriological exami- nation of rats in every plague-infected area, during a period of not less than six months from the finding of the last plague-infected rat. The methods and the results of these examinations shall be oom- municated in ordinary ciroumstances at regular intervals, and in the case of plague every month, to the International Office of Public Hygiene in order that Governments may be kept uninterruptedly informed by that Office of the condition of ports In regard to plague amongst rats. On the first discovery of plague among rats on land, in a port free from infection during the previous six months, the communications shall be sent by the most rapid ways. ARTICLE 7. In order to facilitate the fulfilment of duties put upon it by this ot:er;-ans:ta~~. Convention, and having regard to the benefits derived from the mtions. information furnished by the epidemiological intelligence service of the League of Nations, inoluding its Eastern Bureau at Singapore, and of other analogous bureaus, as well as by the Pan-American Sanitary Bureau, the International Office of Public Hygiene is empowered to make the needful arrangements with the Health Com- 1 The provlldons of this Convention reprdlnc rata are appliceble to the case of otber rodents, and In aeneraI to other animals known to be the means of spreadilli plague. 54835°-29-PT 2-56
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