If your holiday travel plans include a visit to a foreign county, chances are you won’t be able to bring your dog along with you. Amid growing concern over disease, the CDC has banned pets on planes to or from more than 100 countries in a rare “temporary suspension.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is sounding the alarm on dog rabies, a disease often fatal for both dogs and people. Rabies in dogs has essentially been eradicated in the U.S. thanks to vaccination, but as risk and incidence of rabies grows abroad, the CDC is now taking drastic action.
Dogs from more than 100 countries are now banned from importation to the Unites States. The ban includes foreign dogs and dogs traveling with U.S. pet parents who travel abroad and wish to re-enter the U.S. The CDC is requiring a CDC Dog Import Permit for all dogs traveling to the U.S. from the the affected countries.
Right now 18 U.S. airports are able to accept and screen dogs with permits. Beginning on January 7, 2022, only three airports will be prepared to accept these pets: The Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) in Atlanta is one airport, along with New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
For more information, and for a list of the affected countries, visit the CDC here.
