US bans entry of dogs from over 100 countries

U.S. health officials on Monday announced a one-year ban on dogs from more than 100 countries where rabies remains a problem.

Dogs in these countries already required proof of rabies vaccination. The ban is imposed due to an increase in the number of puppies being refused entry because they were not old enough to be fully vaccinated, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The ban will come into effect on July 14 and affects the following Latin American countries:

-Belize

-Bolivia

-Brazil

-Colombia

-Cuba

-Dominican Republic

-Ecuador

-The Savior

-Guatemala

-Guyana

-Haiti

-Honduras

-Nicaragua

-Peru

-Surin

-Venezuela

Douglas Kratt, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, applauded the decision.

“We want to make sure we bring healthy dogs to the country, especially if they are to be pets,” he added. said Kratt, a veterinarian in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

The ban applies to dogs entering or returning to the country, including pets or those brought for sale or adoption. For example, If an American couple brought their dog to Belize, they couldn’t bring it back to the United States unless the dog first spends six months in a country that is not at high risk for rabies.

About 1 million dogs enter the United States each year, and the ban should apply between 4% and 7.5% of this incomethe authorities said. Exceptions will be made for certain situations, including guide dogs for the blind or strangers moving to the United States with their pets.

Most of the recently rejected dogs came from just three countries: Russia, Ukraine and Colombia. But numerous other denials have led the CDC to ban dogs in all countries where the risk of rabies is also high, said Emily Pieracci, a rabies expert at the CDC.

Many of the refusals were due to fraudulent documents claiming the dogs were over 4 months old, Piera said.bcc. Dogs under 4 months of age are not allowed as rabies vaccines do not take full effect until the dog is this age.

Rabies is generally a fatal disease in animals and humans, caused by a virus that invades the central nervous system.. It is most often transmitted by the bite of an infected animal. There is no cure once symptoms appear, but it can be prevented with vaccination.

Dogs were once common carriers of the virus in the United States, but the type that normally circulates in dogs was wiped out in the country with vaccines in the 1970s. In 1988, a new type of canine rabies was imported from Mexico. It spread to wild coyotes and took 19 years to be eliminated.

The cases of this second wave “highlight the impact that a single imported case of rabies can have on wildlife, pets and humans ”, dijo Pieracci.

The demand for dogs is believed to have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Americans have been looking for a furry company, Pieracci noted.

But some canine rabies vaccination programs had to be suspended or canceled during the pandemic, increasing the risk of bringing in a rabid dog, he added.

* With AP information

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