VENEREAL DISEASES

Tulsa Revised Ordinances tit. 17, ch. 2

in effect

Tulsa Revised Ordinances tit. 17, § 200 Diseases named.

Section 200. - Diseases named. Syphilis, gonococcus infection and chancroid, granuloma inguinale and lymphogranuloma venereum are hereby and hereinafter recognized and declared to be contagious and infectious, communicable and dangerous to the public health. The term "venereal disease" as used in this chapter shall include all such diseases.

Tulsa Revised Ordinances tit. 17, § 201 Doctors' and laboratory reports.

Section 201. - Doctors' and laboratory reports. Each and every physician, laboratory, facility or other practitioner of the healing arts practicing in the City of Tulsa or any superintendent or manager of a hospital, dispensary or laboratory who treats or examines any person or persons, or performs any test or procedures which indicates the presence of, or suspicion of the presence of any venereal disease in any stage or manifestation shall report such positive tests or procedures to the Director of Health. Such reports shall be made in such form and manner as determined by the Director of Health.

Tulsa Revised Ordinances tit. 17, § 202 Treatment required.

Section 202. - Treatment required. It shall be unlawful for any person afflicted with any venereal disease to knowingly refuse, fail or neglect to report such fact to and submit to examination and treatment by some reputable physician.

Tulsa Revised Ordinances tit. 17, § 203 Reports confidential.

Section 203. - Reports confidential. All information and reports concerning persons infected with venereal diseases shall be confidential and shall be inaccessible to the public, except insofar as publicity may attend the performance of the duty imposed upon the Director of Health by this chapter or any other regulations hereafter promulgated and put into effect or by the rules of the state of Oklahoma; provided that statistics may be published without giving names.

Tulsa Revised Ordinances tit. 17, § 204 Prevention measures.

Section 204. - Prevention measures. Upon receipt of a report of a case of venereal disease, it shall be the duty of the Director of Health to institute such measures for the protection of other persons from infection by such venereally diseased persons as the Director is already empowered to use to prevent the spread of other contagious, infectious or communicable diseases.

Tulsa Revised Ordinances tit. 17, § 205 Investigations.

Section 205. - Investigations. In all suspected cases of venereal diseases in the infectious stages, the Director of Health shall immediately use every available means to determine whether the person or persons suspected of being infected are suffering from such diseases, or any of them, and wherever such diseases are found to exist, the Director of Health shall whenever possible ascertain the sources of the infection. In such investigation, the Director of Health is vested with full powers of inspection, examination, isolation and disinfection of all persons, places and things as provided herein.

Tulsa Revised Ordinances tit. 17, § 206 Special duties of Director.

Section 206. - Special duties of Director. The Director of Health ("Director") is directed and empowered to perform the duties enumerated herein. A. Examinations. The Director shall make examinations of persons reasonably suspected of having syphilis in the infectious stages, or gonococcus infection. Because of the prevalence of such diseases among prostitutes, their associations may be within the class of persons reasonably suspected. B. Isolation. The Director shall isolate persons infected with any such diseases whenever isolation is necessary to protect the public health. In establishing isolation, the Director of Health shall define the limits of the area in which the persons reasonably suspected or known to have syphilis or gonococcus infection and his or her immediate attendants are to be isolated; and no person, other than the attending physician, shall enter or leave the area of isolation without the permission of the Director of Health. C. Examination of women. In making examinations and inspections of women for the purpose of ascertaining the existence of syphilis or gonococcus infection, the Director shall appoint a woman physician for the purpose if the service of a woman physician is requested or demanded by the person examined. D. Quarantine. In case of quarantine or isolation, the Director shall not terminate the quarantine until the cases have become noninfectious. E. Smears taken. Cases of gonococcus infection are to be regarded as infectious until at least two (2) successive smears, taken not less than forty-eight (48) hours apart, fail to show gonococci. F. Confidential reports. The Director shall keep all reports of such inspections and examinations from public inspection and make every reasonable effort to keep secret the identity of those affected by venereal diseases.

Tulsa Revised Ordinances tit. 17, § 207 Quarantine.

Section 207. - Quarantine. Whenever it is necessary for the protection of the public health that the persons infected with venereal diseases be quarantined, the Director of Health shall quarantine such diseased person in a detention hospital or other suitable place, and cause to be administered to such person a proper course of treatment.

Tulsa Revised Ordinances tit. 17, § 208 Exposure.

Section 208. - Exposure. No person suffering from or infected with the communicable form of a venereal disease shall engage in any occupation involving intimate contact with children, or in the occupation of a nurse, domestic servant, barber, hair-dresser, chiropodist, manicurist, bath attendant, masseur or foot handler.

Tulsa Revised Ordinances tit. 17, § 209 Police duties.

Section 209. - Police duties. It shall be the duty of the Chief of Police of the City of Tulsa and all peace officers to apprehend all persons coming within the provisions of this chapter and to aid and assist in every way possible the Director of Health in enforcing each and every provision contained in this chapter.

Tulsa Revised Ordinances tit. 17, § 210 Arrested suspects.

Section 210. - Arrested suspects. It shall be the duty of the Chief of Police and police officers of the City of Tulsa, whenever a person is arrested and charged with adultery, lewd conduct or occupying a room for immoral purposes, if they believe that the person is infected with one of the above-named venereal diseases, to immediately report the same to the Director of Health.

Source: City of Tulsa, Revised Ordinances and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/ok/tulsa/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_TIT17HERE_CH2VEDIFetched: 10/28/2026