Some Rabies Vaccinated Dogs May Reenter the U.S.

When bringing a dog to the United States in 2023, people should continue to check federal regulations and the recently extended rabies vaccination requirements.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that effective August 1, 2023, it extended the temporary suspension of the importation of dogs from countries classified as high risk for dog rabies and countries that are not at high risk if the dogs have been in high-risk countries during the previous six months.

However, dogs vaccinated against rabies in the U.S. by a US-licensed veterinarian may re-enter the U.S. from a high-risk country without a CDC Dog Import Permit if the dog:

• has a current, valid US-issued rabies vaccination certificate;
• has ISO-compatible microchip;
• is at least 6 months old;
• is healthy upon arrival; and
• arrives at one of the 18 airports with a CDC quarantine station.

On July 6, 2023, the CDC published the “Notice of Extension of Temporary Suspension of Dogs Entering the United States from Countries with a High Risk of Rabies” in the Federal Register. 

According to the CDC, most rabies cases in the U.S. follow bites by bats, not dogs.

An estimated 47,000–55,000 people successfully receive post-exposure prophylaxis each year in the U.S.

Unfortunately, a recent article published in Clinical Infectious Diseases presented the first documented failure of rabies-post-exposure prophylaxis in the Western Hemisphere.

This 84-year-old man died in 2021 about six months after a rabid bat bit his hand.