Art. 5. The prompt and faithful execution of the foregoing provisions is of prime importance.
The notifications are of no real value unless each Government is itself opportunely informed of cases of plague, cholera, and yellow fever and of doubtful cases occurring in its territory. It can not therefore be too strongly recommended to the various Governments that they make compulsory the announcement of cases of plague, cholera, and yellow fever and that they keep themselves informed of any unusual mortality among rats, especially in ports.
Art. 6. It is desirable that neighboring countries make special arrangements with a view to organizing a direct information service among the competent heads of departments in matters concerning contiguous territories or those which have close commercial relations.
SECTION II. CONDITIONS WHICH WARRANT CONSIDERING A TERRITORIAL AREA AS BEING CONTAMINATED OR AS HAVING BECOME HEALTHY AGAIN
Art. 7. The notification of a single case of plague, cholera, or yellow fever shall not involve the application, against the territorial area in which it has occurred, of the measures prescribed in Chapter II hereinbelow.
However, when several unimported cases of plague or yellow fever have appeared or when the cholera cases become localized,[1] the area may be considered contaminated.
Art. 8. In order to confine the measures to the stricken regions only, the Governments shall apply them only to arrivals from the contaminated areas.
By the word area is meant a portion of territory definitely specified in the particulars which accompany or follow the notification; for instance, a province, a government, a district, a department, a canton, an island, a commune, a city, a quarter of a city, a village, a port, a polder, a hamlet, etc., whatever be the area and population of these portions of territory.
However, this restriction to the contaminated area shall only be accepted upon the formal condition that the Government of the contaminated country take the necessary measures: 1st To combat the spread of the epidemic and 2d, if it is a question of cholera, to prevent, unless previously disinfected, the exportation of the things mentioned under Nos. 1 and 2 of article 13 and coming from the contaminated area.
When an area is contaminated, no restrictive measures shall be taken against arrivals from such area if such arrivals have left it at least five days before the beginning of the epidemic.
Art. 9.[2] In order that an area may be considered as being no longer contaminated it must be officially stated:
