Due to a heightened risk of rabies, canine imports from 113 countries have been temporarily halted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The suspension, which comes into effect July 14, applies to all dogs, including puppies, emotional support dogs, and canines that traveled out of the U.S. and are returning from high-risk countries, Reuters reports. It also includes dogs arriving from other nations if they have been in a high-risk country within six months.
Countries deemed “high risk” include Russia, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Jordan, Ecuador, Cuba, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Nigeria, CDC reports.
On “an extremely limited basis,” CDC has the authority to issue advance written approval to import a dog from a high-risk country. To do so, individuals must obtain written approval from CDC at least 30 business days (six weeks) in advance.
The countries currently under the suspension are:
Africa
- Algeria, Angola
- Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi
- Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini (Swaziland), Ethiopia
- Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau
- Kenya
- Lesotho, Liberia, Libya
- Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique
- Namibia, Niger, Nigeria
- Republic of the Congo, Rwanda
- Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan
- Tanzania (including Zanzibar), Togo, Tunisia
- Uganda
- Western Sahara
- Zambia, Zimbabwe
Americas and Caribbean
- Belize, Bolivia, Brazil
- Colombia, Cuba
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador, El Salvador
- Guatemala, Guyana
- Haiti, Honduras
- Nicaragua
- Peru
- Suriname
- Venezuela
Asia and the Middle East, Eastern Europe
- Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan
- Bangladesh, Belarus, Bhutan, Brunei
- Cambodia, China (excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan)
- Georgia
- India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan
- Laos, Lebanon
- Malaysia, Moldova, Mongolia, Myanmar (Burma)
- Nepal, North Korea
- Oman
- Pakistan, Philippines
- Qatar
- Russia
- Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Syria
- Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Turkey, Turkmenistan
- Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan
- Vietnam
- Yemen
To learn more about how CDC determines risk for importing dog rabies, click here.
So even vaccinated dogs are banned. Which is ridiculous as the rabies vaccines are excellent.
I just don’t understand why vaccinated dogs are banned.. However, my worry is for the unfortunate
dogs in meat markets that our country has saved in the past!!!!
Vaccines are no guarantee. A rabies titer needs to be run by a reputable source and then they should be admitted if an adequate titer is found.