CDC issues new guidelines for travelling with dogs to US; check new rules

All dogs coming into the US from different nations must be somewhere around 6 months old and microchipped to assist with preventing the spread of rabies, as per new government guidelines announced on Wednesday. The new guidelines make it mandatory for dogs coming from nations where rabies is common to be vaccinated. The new rules apply to dogs brought in by breeders or rescue groups and pets going with their US owners. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines were last updated in 1956, and a lot has changed since then, NBC News quoted rabies expert at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emily Pieracci, who was involved in drafting the updated regulations, as saying. More people travel worldwide with their pets, and more rescue groups and breeders have set up overseas operations to fulfil the need for pets, she stated. Presently, around 1 million dogs enter the US every year.

What officials have to say about CDC new guidelines? 

“This new regulation is going to address the current challenges that we’re facing,” stated Pieracci. The CDC posted the new guidelines in the federal register on Wednesday. They take effect Aug.1 when a temporary 2021 order terminates. That order prohibited the entry of dogs into the country from over 100 nations where rabies is still common.

The new guidelines need all dogs entering the US to be at least 6 months old, mature enough to be vaccinated whenever required and for the shots to take effect; have a microchip put under their skin with a code that can be utilized to check rabies vaccine and have finished another CDC import form. There might be extra restrictions and needs in light of where the dog was before six months, which might incorporate blood testing from CDC-approved labs.

CDC issues new guidelines for travelling with dogs to the U.S.: Case study 

The US has identified four rabid dogs entering the US since 2015, and authorities are worried more could get through. CDC authorities likewise were seeing an increase of incomplete or false rabies vaccination certificates and more puppies denied entry since they weren’t mature enough to be completely vaccinated. A draft version of the refreshed guidelines last year drew a range of public remarks. 

Dogs used to be the common carriers of the rabies virus in the country, however, that virus type was eliminated through vaccinations during the 1970s.

However, Jennifer Skiff expressed that some of the changes are inappropriate and excessively costly. She works for Animal Wellness Action, a Washington group focused on preventing animal cruelty that assists associations import animals. While a few other animal welfare organisations have reportedly supported the move. 

First Published: May 09 2024 | 5:50 PM IST