Biosecurity and Quarantine
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Biosecurity and Quarantine
Public Health South undertake biosecurity and quarantine procedures to prevent potential health risks and disease caused by the introduction of pests and unwanted diseases.
Imported Disease
New communicable diseases can be brought into the country through international airports and seaports in Otago and Southland.
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Seaports
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Airports
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Bluff
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Dunedin
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Dunedin
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Queenstown
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Port Chalmers
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Milford Sounds
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Public Health South works to prevent the spread of new communicable diseases through quarantine procedures based on International Health Regulations.
Cholera, SARS, Avian Inflenza, Plague and Yellow Fever are the main diseases subject to quarantine. However, the airline must inform us of any seriously unwell passenger arriving on an international flight.
International Shipping
Masters of all arriving vessels must complete the form, Advance Notice of Arrival, no later than 48 hours prior to the vessels’ arrival in New Zealand. Masters of vessels or their agents are to submit an application for ‘pratique’ clearance between 12 and 24 hours prior to arrival.
Advance Notice of Arrival forms are located on the New Zealand Customs Web site: (New Zealand Customs Service general forms)
Under the International Health Regulations 2005, all vessels travelling in international waters are required to hold a current Ship Sanitation Control Certificate or a Ship Sanitation Control Exemption Certificate. These certificates provide evidence that:
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public health authorities have inspected the ship
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there is no evidence of infection amongst the passengers or crew
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thereare no vectors found on board (rodents etc) that might be a source of disease. A vector is an aminal or insect that enables spread of diseases to humans.
These certificates are required to be renewed at every 6 months and if a certificate is due to expire before the a vessels arrival at the next port, a Health Protection Officer is available to carry out a ship sanitation control inspection which involves looking at the following areas on a vessel:
- general sanitation
- food safety
- portable water safety
- sewage collection and disposal
- ballast water declaration
- storage and collection of solid and medical waste
- integrated pest management
- medical log for crew members
- gastroenteritis infection log
More information on the International Health Regulations is available on the following links:
Biosecurity
We monitor international seaports and airports in Otago and Southland where diseases or disease vectors (such as animals or insects) that harbour or transmit disease, could potentially enter the country.
Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes are responsible for more human deaths than any other living creature and because of this they must be monitored very closely. We undertake surveillance of international seaports and airports where unwanted exotic mosquitoes of public health significance could potentially enter the country.
We have a programme that checks for mosquitoes and breeding sites around International Ports and airports throughout the year. Over the winter the mosquito sentinel sites are checked about once a month (depending on weather and how many larvae are growing) and then October through to March they are checked once a week.
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