Rabies prompts new CDC rules for bringing dogs to the U.S.

4 months ago

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced new rules Wednesday aimed astatine preventing dogs pinch rabies from coming into nan United States.

Under nan new regulations, each dogs entering nan U.S. must look healthy, must beryllium astatine slightest six months old, must person received a microchip, and nan proprietor must verify nan animal either has a valid rabies vaccine aliases has not been successful a state wherever rabies is endemic successful nan past six months.

Dogs coming from a state that is considered astatine precocious consequence for rabies and who received a rabies vaccine from different state must meet further criteria. Those see getting a humor trial earlier they time off nan different state to make judge nan animal has immunity against rabies, a beingness introspection upon presence and getting a U.S. rabies vaccine. If nan canine doesn’t person a humor trial showing immunity, it must beryllium quarantined for 28 days.

These are overmuch stricter requirements than existing regulations for canine importation — for those who want to adopt from overseas and for those walking internationally pinch their pets.

But, U.S pet owners shouldn’t panic, says Dr. Emily Pieracci, a CDC veterinary medicine officer. “This really isn’t a large change,” she says. “It sounds for illustration a lot, but not erstwhile you break it down, it’s really not a immense inconvenience for pet owners.”

Rabies was eliminated successful dogs successful nan United States successful 2007, but unvaccinated canines tin still statement nan illness from rabid wildlife specified arsenic raccoons, skunks aliases bats.

And rabies remains 1 of nan deadliest diseases that tin beryllium transmitted from animals to humans astir nan world. Globally, astir 59,000 group dice from rabies each year. The unwellness is astir ever fatal erstwhile a personification originates to acquisition symptoms.

Today, pet dogs successful nan United States are routinely vaccinated against rabies.

“This caller regularisation is really group to reside nan existent challenges we’re facing,” Pieracci says. Those see an accrued consequence of illness “because of nan large-scale world activity of dogs,” she adds, arsenic good arsenic fraudulent archiving for imported dogs.

The U.S. imports an estimated 1 cardinal dogs each year. In 2021, amid a surge of pandemic-inspired canine adoptions, nan CDC suspended importations from 113 countries wherever rabies is still endemic because of an summation successful fraudulent rabies vaccination certificates. The countries see Kenya, Uganda, Brazil, Colombia, Russia, Vietnam, North Korea, Nepal, China and Syria.

That suspension will extremity erstwhile nan caller rules spell into effect Aug. 1.

“This will bring america up to velocity pinch nan remainder of nan world organization which already has measures successful spot to forestall nan importation of of accelerated dogs,” Pieracci said. “So, we’re playing catch-up successful a sense.”

The caller regulations switch rules that day backmost to 1956. Those rules only required that dogs beryllium vaccinated earlier entering nan country.

“As you tin ideate a batch has changed since then,” Pieracci says. “International recreation has accrued dramatically and people’s relationships pinch dogs person changed since nan 1950s. During that time, it really wasn’t communal for dogs to beryllium considered family member. They didn’t slumber successful peoples’ beds. They surely didn’t travel them connected world trips.”

The caller rules won praise from nan American Veterinary Medical Association. The statement “is pleased to spot nan implementation of this caller norm that will thief protect nationalist wellness and positively effect canine wellness and welfare,” said Dr. Rena Carlson, president of nan AVMA successful a connection to NPR.

Dog rescue advocates besides welcomed nan changes.

“This updated regularisation will let america to proceed bringing dogs to nan U.S. safely and efficiently,” Lori Kalef, head of programs for SPCA International, said successful a statement.

“We person seen that dogs person been a lifeline for U.S. work members during their deployments. One of our cardinal programs reunites these work members and their animal companions present successful nan U.S. erstwhile they person returned home,” she said. “The CDC’s committedness to improving its regulations has a profound effect connected nan animals and work members we support, and this caller argumentation is an important portion of that effort.”