Rabies could be creeping back into the US despite strict vaccination requirements, the CDC warns after a five-month-old rescue pup who met import requirements from Azerbaijan tested positive for the virus
- Rabies was eradicated in the US in 2003 but has been detected in animal imports five times in the past 15 years
- Last year, a puppy tested positive for the virus just three days after arriving at its foster home in Pennsylvania after a flight from Azerbaijan
- The dog had begun biting the air, salivating excessively, and becoming restless
- It was later laid down after seizures and cardiac arrest
- Blood tests showed that eight out of 34 animals imported with this shipment were not properly vaccinated against rabies
- CDC officials now say all animal imports from high-risk countries should have blood tests done to confirm they’ve received the rabies vaccine
Rabies could be imported back into the US due to improper vaccination, health officials warned Thursday after a five-month-old rescue puppy from Azerbaijan tested positive for the virus last year despite meeting import regulations.
The disease, which causes seizures and foaming at the mouth, was eradicated in the US in 2003 but has reappeared five times in the past 15 years.
Last year’s case, in which a puppy fell ill just three days after arriving at his adoptive family in Pennsylvania, has been traced to faulty paperwork.
The animal was certified as having been vaccinated against rabies in Azerbaijan, but tests revealed seven others of the 33 dogs and one cat brought across the border were not fully vaccinated.
Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last year imposed a ban on importing dogs from 109 high-risk countries — including four from Eastern Europe.
However, it is set to be phased out later this year, as the CDC requires blood tests to be performed in ports to confirm all animals imported from high-risk areas are vaccinated.
Rabies is transmitted through bites from infected animals. It is fatal in virtually every case without treatment, with victims’ symptoms progressing from fever to seizures within days.
CDC officials warn that rabies could be imported back into the United States. There is no evidence that the above pup has rabies
The warning was unveiled in a scientific paper published this week in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
The lead author Dr. Florence Whitehill, animal disease expert at the CDC, and colleagues said, “A requirement for rabies vaccination certificates alone will not adequately identify improper vaccination practices or fraudulent paperwork and is inadequate as a stand-alone measure to prevent rabies introduction.
‘[Blood] Animal testing from high-risk countries and electronic submission of results directly from prequalified laboratories prior to arrival in the United States should be considered to mitigate the risk of importation [rabies].’
Rabies: death from scratch
Rabies is a viral infection that targets the nervous system and brain.
It is fatal in almost all cases if left untreated – and has an incubation period of 20 to 60 days.
It is only transmitted to humans from infected animals, most commonly by the animal biting or scratching the person.
It can also be spread through an animal’s saliva that comes into contact with a scrape or cut on a human’s skin. The majority of rabies cases result from a bite from an infected dog.
Symptoms of the disease include high temperature, numbness at the site of the bite, and hallucinations. Some victims also have hydrophobia, which is a fear of water.
About 55,000 cases of rabies occur worldwide each year, with over 95 percent occurring in Africa and Asia. Half of all rabies cases occur in India.
Each year, more than 29 million people worldwide receive a vaccine after being bitten. It is estimated that this prevents hundreds of thousands of deaths from rabies every year.
Source: WHO
In the latter case, the pup arrived at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois on June 10 last year and was sent to an adoptive family.
Three days later, he began biting invisible objects, salivated excessively, and had restlessness.
The animal was taken to the vet, where it suffered seizures and went into cardiac arrest. It was laid down later that same day.
A total of 37 people who were exposed to the animal – including airport workers, veterinarians and his adoptive family – have been screened for the virus.
A total of 15 people received the drug rabies post-exposure prophylaxis as a precaution in case they were infected.
None later contracted rabies, which has an incubation period of 20 to 60 days.
Blood tests revealed that seven other animals on the shipment – all dogs – were not adequately vaccinated against rabies upon arrival.
The unvaccinated animals were placed in strict quarantine for four to six months to ensure they were not infected with the virus.
The other 25 were placed in a 45-day home quarantine as a precaution in case they were exposed to the virus.
None later developed an infection.
Animals are considered vaccinated against rabies from day 28 after receiving their first vaccination.
But in some cases – like in these animals – the vaccine may not induce immunity if too small an initial dose is given.
Rescue workers in Azerbaijan blamed the improper vaccinations on a veterinary intern who they said was in charge of rabies vaccinations at the time.
They added that a check revealed “numerous” rabies vials with a higher residual amount of vaccine than expected.
Last year America reported five deaths from rabies – the highest number in a decade.
Four of these were due to contact with bats, while one was bitten by an infected dog.
That was more than the past four years combined, when just three deaths from the virus had been reported.
The CDC said the deaths were tragic and most of them could have been prevented with a series of quick injections. Three of those infected refused the injections.