Colleen Rohder, age 14, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y. for her question:
WHAT IS A QUARANTINE?
A quarantine is the isolation or shutting off from others of certain persons, places and animals which may carry danger of infection. The period of quarantine depends on the amount of time necessary for protection against the spread of a particular disease.
International quarantine is held in three types of stations: maritime, aircraft and border places of entry.
All ships entering ports from foreign areas are subject to quarantine. The officer in command of the ship gives a statement to a port inspection officer about the health status of crew and passengers. The ship is allowed to dock if it is free from infectious disease.
If an infectious disease is present, the ship must stay in the harbor flying a yellow flag until it completes a period of quarantine. Heavy penalties result from false statements or for concealing facts about disease.
The quarantine station is always located at some distance from the landing places. In the United States, the Public Health Service controls the quarantine service. The United States maintains a quarantine over Asiatic cholera, yellow fever, smallpox, typhus, leprosy, parrot fever, plague and anthrax.
Aircraft quarantine differs from maritime quarantine because of the speed of air transport. Passengers are allowed to go to their destinations. Hut health officials keep them under check until it is certain that they do not have any infectious diseases.
States, cities, small communities, single households and even individuals are subject to quarantine laws, officials enforce these laws to prevent the spread of contagious diseases.
Quarantine laws have proved effective in reducing death rates and in checking the spread of epidemics. Special measures have been established for disinfection as a way to prevent the carrying and spreading of germs.
The word quarantine comes from the Latin "quadraginta," meaning "40." In early times, officials held a ship outside of port for 40 days if they suspected it carried infection among its passengers or freight.
Harmful insect pests have been brought into the United States and Canada by diseased plants and animals. The governments of both nations have laws that provide for the inspection of ail plants entering the country.
Some states have their own quarantines to keep out diseased plants and animals or insect pests.
Also, local areas often may be quarantined to prevent the spread of such animal diseases as foot and mouth disease, which affects livestock.
Bill of Health is a certificate issued and signed by designated port authorities to certify the health of a ship's crew and passengers and its sanitary condition at the time the ship sailed.