[ad_1]
The U.S. government has relaxed a rule banning dog imports from 113 countries over concerns about fraudulent rabies vaccination certificates. The change comes less than six weeks after the decision, which pet owners complained was overly restrictive, went into full effect.
As of October 14, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention It blocked the import of dogs from 113 countries where the risk of rabies transmission is high for dogs, both foreign and re-entering the country after leaving the country. The federal agency said the ban was spurred by the rise in fake health documents from international pet importers in the past 18 months.
Now passengers flying with dogs that have received their vaccinations from a US licensed veterinarian can return to the US from previously banned countries, provided the animal is healthy, microchipped and at least six months old, and the owner has a valid US-issued rabies vaccination certificate.
The decision was announced on the CDC’s website over the weekend. The agency did not respond to questions about what triggered the change.
In 2020 alone, as the number of pet adoptions increased in the United States, the CDC said it had intervened in more than 450 cases where dogs were imported with fake or missing rabies vaccination certificates. A rabid dog was imported from Azerbaijan in June 2021, sparking a public health response involving agencies in nine states. For the CDC, that one event was enough.
The import of the dog “highlights the time of the CDC’s temporary suspension and the risk associated with rescue dogs imported from countries at high risk for canine rabies,” Emily Pieracci, veterinary medical officer at the CDC, said in an email. “Canine rabies has been eliminated in the United States since 2007, and the import of dogs from countries at high risk for rabies represents a significant public health risk.”
Owners of dogs traveling out of the country with their animals should make sure their paperwork is up to date and check their city of arrival and departure: the CDC will not accept expired rabies vaccination certificates, and as of December 1, all dogs in transit must be considered high-risk for rabies by the CDC. country, 18 to the United States approved ports of entryIncluding Chicago O’Hare, John F. Kennedy International and San Francisco International Airports. The CDC also originally planned to reduce these 18 approved ports to just three by early 2022, but has now rolled back those plans.
The CDC’s policy change does not provide relief to people, including: aid workers and US service members, those who want to bring a dog to the United States for the first time. Many struggle to reunite with their adopted animals during mission trips abroad and complain that the rule is too restrictive. Animals admitted abroad without US vaccination certificates still cannot enter the US without special permission.
[ad_2]
Source link