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.
