Epidemics Act (EpidA)
English is not an official language of the Swiss Confederation. This translation is provided for information purposes only and has no legal force.
Section 1 General Preventive Measures
Art. 19
1 The Confederation and the cantons shall take measures to control, reduce and eliminate the risks of disease transmission. 2 The Federal Council may issue the following regulations: a. It may require hospitals, clinics and other healthcare institutions to decontaminate, disinfect and sterilise their medical devices. b. It may require businesses and event organisers whose activities increase the risk of transmitting the disease to provide prevention and information materials and comply with a specific code of conduct. c. It may require public health and education institutions to offer information on the dangers of communicable diseases and advice on their prevention and control. d. It may require public and private institutions that have a special obligation to protect the health of people in their care to take suitable preventive measures. e. It may make technical installations that can spread communicable diseases subject to a registration requirement. 3 The Federal Council may prohi
Para. 3 — Inserted by Annex No 6 of the FA of 29 Sept. 2023, in force since 1 Aug. 2025 (AS 2025 421; BBl 2023 721).
Section 2 Vaccinations
Art. 20 National vaccination plan
1 The FOPH, in cooperation with the Federal Commission for Vaccination, shall draw up and publish vaccination recommendations in the form of a national vaccination plan. 2 Doctors and other healthcare specialists shall assist in implementing the national vaccination plan as part of their activities. 3 They shall inform the persons addressed by the vaccination recommendations about the national vaccination plan.
Art. 21 Encouraging people to be vaccinated
1 The cantons shall encourage people to be vaccinated by: a. informing the persons addressed by the vaccination recommendations about the national vaccination plan; b. regularly reviewing the vaccination status of children and young people who are in compulsory education; c. ensuring that the persons addressed by the vaccination recommendations are fully vaccinated. 2 They may in particular: a. offer vaccinations as part of school health services; b. administer vaccines free of charge or supply vaccines at below the market price.
Art. 22 Mandatory vaccinations
The cantons may declare vaccinations to be mandatory for population groups at high risk, persons who are particularly exposed to infection and persons that carry out certain activities, provided there is a significant risk.
Art. 23 International certificate of vaccination or other prophylaxis
1 The Federal Council may introduce a registration or licensing obligation for vaccinations for which an international certificate of vaccination or other prophylaxis under Article 36 of the International Health Regulations (2005) of 23 May 2005 is required. 2 The Federal Council shall carry out the following tasks: a. designating the competent authority; b. regulating the requirements and the procedure for granting licences; c. indicating the vaccination procedure and the permitted vaccines.
Para. 1 — SR 0.818.103
Art. 24 Monitoring and evaluation
1 The competent federal authorities shall in consultation with the cantons regularly review the appropriateness and effectiveness of the vaccination measures. 2 The competent cantonal authorities shall collect data on the numbers of persons who have been vaccinated and inform the FOPH regularly about the vaccination rate and about the measures taken to increase the rate. 3 The FOPH shall regularly draw up reports on monitoring and evaluation and publish these in a suitable form.
Section 3 Biosafety
Art. 25 Duty of care
Any person who handles pathogens or their toxic products must take all the measures required to ensure that no one can come to any harm.
Art. 26 Handling pathogens in contained systems
1 In the case of activities with pathogens in contained systems, all the containment measures that are required to prevent a risk to the population must be taken. 2 The Federal Council shall introduce a registration or licensing obligation; it shall regulate the requirements and the procedure. 3 It may simplify the registration or licensing obligation or provide for exceptions in the case of specific pathogens and activities if current scientific knowledge and experience indicate that there is no risk to health.
Art. 27 Release and marketing
1 Any person who wishes to release or market pathogens for experimental purposes shall require a licence from the Confederation. 2 The Federal Council shall regulate the requirements and the procedure for granting the licence as well as the provision of information to the public on experimental releases. 3 It may provide for exceptions from the licensing obligation for specific pathogens if current scientific knowledge and experience indicate that there is no risk to health.
Art. 28 Duty to provide information to purchasers
Any person who markets pathogens must inform customers about their health-related properties and risks and about the required precautionary and preventive measures.
Art. 29 Further regulations issued by the Federal Council
The Federal Council may issue the following regulations: a. It may regulate the transport of pathogens and introduce a licensing requirement for their import, export and transit. b. It may restrict or prohibit the handling of specific pathogens. c. It may specify requirements for contained system equipment and the training of persons handling pathogens. d. It may require the marking of containers that hold pathogens.
let. c — Amended by Annex No 34 of the FA of 20 June 2014 on Continuing Education and Training, in force since 1 Jan. 2017 (AS 2016 689; BBl 2013 3729).