CDC Suspends Importation Of Dogs To The U.S. Due To Rabies Risk

WASHINGTON, USA: The United States is temporarily suspending the import of dogs from 113 countries from 14 July onwards due to a rabies concern.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a “Notice of Suspension of Dogs Entering the United States from High-Risk Rabies Countries", on 14 June. 

This temporary suspension notice is necessary to ensure the health and safety of dogs imported into the US and to protect the public’s health against the reintroduction of canine rabies virus variant (dog rabies) into the country.

Rabies is fatal in both humans and animals and the CDC  estimates that some six percent of all dogs imported into the US come from countries considered "at high risk for dog rabies".

The 113 countries include Russia, China, India, Brazil, Peru, Kenya, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belarus, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Jordan, Ecuador, Cuba, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, the CDC said.

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, many dog vaccination programmes have been cut-back, suspended or cancelled in some countries. As such, there is now a growing number of canine rabies cases in some countries.

The CDC has previously estimated 1.06 million dogs are imported into the US annually. The CDC estimates the import ban, which it expects to last a year, will affect about 6 percent of dogs imported.