Title 25 — Environmental Health

(a) The Director may by regulation approved by the Governor, declare any disease to be a communicable disease. (b) Human Immunodeficiency Virus Seropositivity (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) are communicable diseases. History: 1972, PL 12-44 § 4; amd 1991, PL…

Any physician, dentist, medical or dental officer, or nurse of the Department of Health who has knowledge or suspected knowledge of the presence of any communicable disease or any other disease dangerous to the public health shall report the same to the Director within 48 hours a…

Any owner, keeper or other person in charge of the operation of a hotel, boardinghouse, lodginghouse or dormitory shall immediately report to the Director the presence therein of any person he has reason to believe to be sick from or to have died from any contagious, infectious, …

Any master of a vessel or captain of an aircraft shall immediately report to the Director the presence aboard such vessel or aircraft of any person he has reason to believe to be sick from, or to have died from, any contagious infectious communicable, or other disease dangerous t…

(a) Any person having any communicable disease, or any other disease dangerous to the public health, including venereal disease, shall report such condition to any medical services officer or physician licensed to practice medicine in American Samoa. No parent, guardian, or other…

(a) When a complaint is made or reasonable belief exists that a communicable disease or other disease dangerous to public health prevails in any house or elsewhere and has not been reported, the Director of Health shall make an inspection for the purpose of discovering whether an…

No person having a communicable disease or other disease dangerous to the public health, or being in charge of any person afflicted with such a disease, may willfully expose himself or such person in any public place, street or highway, except as may be authorized by the Director…

Isolation and quarantine shall be imposed in accordance with regulations of the Governor. Such regulations shall designate the diseases for which isolation or quarantine or both are necessary and such other requirements concerning diagnosis, treatment, release, and other pertinen…

Where any person suffering from a communicable disease is required to remain isolated or quarantined or to do or refrain from doing any act or thing whereby the spread of the disease may be enhanced, and such person, because of tender age or physical or mental disability, is unab…

(a) When a person has been isolated or quarantined and is restricted thereby to his residence or other building, the Director may place in a conspicuous position on the exterior of the premises where such person is isolated or quarantined a placard having printed on it, in large …

The Director may if he deems it advisable, order the premises and contents thereof in which any person has been ill or has died of a communicable disease, or any other room building, premises or area, and any contents thereof which may be infective by contact with any communicabl…

(a) The Director may destroy any infected clothing, bedding, or other articles which cannot be made safe by disinfection. He shall furnish to the owner thereof a receipt showing the number, character, condition and estimated value of the articles so destroyed. A copy of such rece…

During an epidemic or threatening epidemic, or when a dangerous communicable disease is unusually prevalent, the Director may close any public or private school and prohibit any public or private gathering for such time as may be necessary in the interests of the public health. H…

Any physician midwife, or other person in attendance at childbirth shall instill a one-percent solution of silver nitrate into the eyes of every child immediately after birth. Solutions other than one-percent silver nitrate may be used only on approval of the Director and subject…

The Director, in his discretion, may require that the body of a person who has died of a communicable disease or any other disease dangerous to the public health be buried or cremated immediately or within such period of time in conformity with such procedure, as he may designate…

The Director may perform any autopsy whenever approved by the family of the deceased or order of the High Court. History: 1972, PL 12-44 § 4.

No person testing HIV positive may be denied any governmental services, public or private employment, school attendance, housing, insurance, health or dental care or any other basic human rights based upon their seropositivity. History: 1991, PL 22-5.

Records containing the identity of individuals pursuant to this chapter may under no circumstances be disclosed or transferred to any unauthorized person or public or private agency. Employees of the American Samoa Government who violate this section shall be subject to disciplin…