Complacency is not an option

For at least the fourth time since 2005 a rabid dog has been imported into the US, this time imported from Egypt by an animal rescue organization. It came to light that the dog’s rabies vaccination certificate had been forged and 18 people who were involved in the importation process have been advised to seek post-exposure treatment and vaccination.

This may seem like an isolated incident but it could threaten the US’ position as a canine rabies-free nation. There are many countries in the world where canine rabies is no longer endemic, the US being one of those countries having spent hundreds of millions of dollars over several decades to eliminate the disease. 

Dr Nicky Cohen of the CDC published guidelines in 2015 as to what to look out for to ensure that imported dogs have authentic rabies vaccination certificates, such as making sure that multiple dogs in the same shipment don’t have identical certificates.

With lots of animals being imported to the US following humanitarian crises, such as the Haiti earthquake, the CDC are taking extra precautions to ensure that canine rabies is not being allowed into the country. They’re also trying to dissuade the importation of rescue dogs, emphasising how many dogs there are already in US-based shelters that need rehoming. Ryan Wallace, a veterinary epidemiologist with the CDC said ‘about five million animals a year enter a shelter and about half of those will be … put down … so there’s no shortage of adoptable animals here in the United States’.

Canine rabies can spread quickly through dog populations, and when it causes disease in humans, is 99.9% fatal. This is why it’s so important to maintain control over the disease. The United States may be canine-rabies free now but complacency kills and we should all be vigilant against its reintro