Traveling with a dog or adopting a dog from overseas can be a little more complicated. The CDC has issued new regulations aimed at reducing the risk of rabies importation.
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Traveling with a dog or adopting a dog from overseas can be a little more complicated. The CDC has issued new regulations aimed at reducing the risk of rabies importation.
mauinow1/Getty Images/iStockphoto
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday announced new rules aimed at preventing rabies-infected dogs from entering the United States.
Under new regulations, all dogs entering the U.S. must appear healthy, be at least 6 months old, and be microchipped, requiring owners to confirm that the animal is valid. You will need to prove that you have received a proper rabies vaccination or have not been to a country where rabies is endemic. It has become endemic within the past 6 months.
Dogs that come from countries considered to be at high risk for rabies and have received their rabies vaccine in another country must meet additional criteria. These include having a blood test before leaving another country to see if the animal has immunity to rabies, a physical exam upon arrival, and receiving a U.S. rabies vaccine. If your dog's blood test does not confirm immunity, he will need to be quarantined for 28 days.
These are far more stringent requirements than existing regulations for importing dogs for people who want to adopt from overseas or travel abroad with their pets.
But U.S. pet owners don't need to panic, says CDC veterinarian Dr. Emily Piracci. “This isn't really a huge change,” she says. “It sounds like a lot, but when you really break it down, it's not that big of an inconvenience for pet owners.”
Although rabies was eliminated from dogs in the United States in 2007, unvaccinated dogs can still contract rabies from rabid wild animals such as raccoons, skunks, and bats.
And rabies remains one of the most deadly diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans worldwide. Approximately 59,000 people die from rabies each year worldwide. The disease is almost always fatal once symptoms begin.
Pet dogs in the United States are now routinely vaccinated against rabies.
“This new regulation was put in place to address exactly the current issues we are facing,” Pilacci said. These include increased risk of disease “due to the large-scale international movement of dogs” and fraudulent documentation for imported dogs, she added.
The United States imports an estimated 1 million dogs each year. In 2021, amid a surge in dog adoptions due to the pandemic, the CDC suspended imports from 113 countries where rabies remains endemic due to an increase in forged rabies vaccination certificates. Target countries include Kenya, Uganda, Brazil, Colombia, Russia, Vietnam, North Korea, Nepal, China, and Syria.
This suspension will end when the new rules take effect on August 1st.
“This brings us in line with the rest of the international community, which has already taken steps to prevent the importation of speeding dogs,” Piracci said. “So we're playing catch-up in a sense.”
The new regulations replace rules dating back to 1956. These rules only required that dogs be vaccinated before entering the country.
“As you can imagine, a lot has changed since then,” Pilacci said. “Since the 1950s, international travel has increased dramatically, and the relationship between dogs and people has changed. At that time, it was not common for dogs to be considered part of the family. Dogs were not allowed to sleep in people's beds. Of course it didn't happen.'' Accompany them on their overseas trip. ”
The new rules were praised by the American Veterinary Medical Association. AVMA President Dr. Lena Carlson said in a statement to NPR that the organization is “pleased with the implementation of this new rule that protects public health and positively impacts the health and welfare of dogs.”
Dog protectionists also welcomed the change.
“This latest regulation will allow us to continue bringing dogs into the United States safely and efficiently,” Lori Karev, program director for SPCA International, said in a statement.
“We have seen that dogs are a lifeline for U.S. service members during deployments. One of our key programs is to reunite returning service members and their animal companions here in the United States. That’s the thing,” she said. “CDC's efforts to improve regulations have a significant impact on the animals and service members we serve, and this new policy is an important part of that effort.”
