The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta) is drafting new animal importation regulations designed to prevent the introduction of zoonotic diseases into the United States.

According to the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published in August, the CDC believes that current regulations may not be sufficient to prevent canine strains of rabies and other diseases transferable from animals to humans from entering the country. Imported dogs now must be vaccinated for rabies or are subject to a 30-day post-vaccination quarantine upon arrival in the United States. However, the CDC noted reports of large shipments of puppies below vaccination age being imported for immediate sale.

Additionally, current regulations do not require that a dog be accompanied by a standard international health certificate signed by a licensed veterinarian in the country of origin. Furthermore, rabies vaccinations for cats and ferrets are not required.

CDC also said that the importation of wild animals—most of which are wild-caught, it claimed—poses a great health risk because most species are not screened prior to shipment for infectious diseases, and no testing is required for entry into the United States. Furthermore, high mortality rates among some animals, such as rodents, are common, and current U.S. regulations do not require importers to have examinations performed to determine whether deaths are from a disease that could have an adverse effect on public health.