CDC Proposes New Regs for Dogs Imported From High-Risk Countries, Extends Temporary Ban
The Centers for Disease Control is proposing new requirements for imports of dogs to address the risk of rabies. Under the proposal, importers of dogs that have been in a countries at high-risk for a dog-maintained rabies virus variant during the previous six months would have to submit a vaccination form on the rabies vaccination status of the dogs, and could only be imported through certain ports. Comments on the proposal are due Sept. 8.
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The proposal would “mitigate” the need for a ban on imports of dogs that have been in rabies high-risk countries that has been in place since 2021 (see 2106140047). Concurrently with the proposal, the CDC issued a notice extending the temporary ban for another year until July 31, 2024.
The proposed rule would require dogs that have been in a rabies high-risk country during the previous six months and were vaccinated in the U.S. to enter through a U.S. airport with a CDC quarantine station. Dogs vaccinated in foreign countries would have to arrive at a U.S. airport with a CDC quarantine station and a CDC-registered animal care facility. U.S. and foreign-vaccinated dogs that were recently in high-risk countries would both require the certificate. Dogs imported from rabies-free or low-risk countries would be eligible to arrive at any U.S. port, the CDC said.
Dogs arriving from any country, including dogs returning to the U.S. after traveling abroad, would have to be “properly microchipped with an International Standards Organization (ISO)-compatible microchip prior to travel into the United States,” the CDC said.
The proposal would also require that any dog arriving into the U.S. be at least six months of age, to “address concerns about importations of puppies that are too young to be properly vaccinated against rabies.”
The current requirement for a valid rabies vaccination certificate (RVC) would be removed by the proposal, and it would be replaced with “new rabies vaccination forms for dogs imported from [rabies] high-risk countries. The proposed rabies vaccination forms would include the rabies vaccination status of the dog and other required information similar to the current valid RVC requirement. However, unlike the current requirement for a valid RVC, the proposed rabies vaccination forms would be standardized,” the CDC said.
All dog importers would have to submit a CDC Import Submission Form online with their contact information and information about the dog being imported, via a CDC-approved system prior to travel to the U.S., the CDC said. Upon arrival, the importer would present a receipt confirming they submitted the form.
For dogs traveling by air, airlines would have to “confirm that the dog possess all required import documentation based on the country of origin” prior to accepting a dog for transport, the CDC said.