Observation (z5737)

Observation, (French: surveillance), so-called special measure of medical supervision, applied according to the International Sanitary Convention for persons arriving from epidemic-affected areas, with the aim of their quick isolation in case they become ill. The Sanitary Convention of 1926 defines this term as follows: 'The word Observation means that persons are not isolated, that they immediately receive free practice, but that information is given to the health authorities of the various localities to which they are proceeding, and that they undergo a medical examination determining the state of their health.' The periods for which this measure is established coincide with the incubation periods of the corresponding infection. Observation is applied at borders both with respect to passengers arriving by sea and with respect to passengers arriving by land (Art. 61 of the 1926 Convention). As one of the sanitary measures, Observation was also established by the old legislation of Russia in the so-called rules on sanitary executive commissions (1889). Lit.-see literature for the Convention article.