CDC PROPOSES ANIMAL IMPORTATION REGULATIONS

CDC PROPOSES ANIMAL IMPORTATION REGULATIONS

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is soliciting
comments prior to the Agency’s drafting revised regulations governing the
importation of dogs [such as pot cakes, SATOs etc] and cats and potentially
expanding the regulations to include other animals such as ferrets, African
rodents and “other pet animals.” The proposed changes would be designed to
prevent the introduction of zoonotic diseases into the United States.

NOTE:  CDC HAS EXTENDED PERIOD FOR COMMENT SUBMISSION TO DECEMBER 1,  2007

Original Notice August 28, 2007

42 CFR Part 71

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/anprm/index.htm”http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/a
nprm/index.htm

CDC PROPOSES ANIMAL IMPORTATION REGULATIONS

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published an
Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (APRN) to solicit comments prior to the Agency’s drafting revised regulations governing the importation of
dogs and cats and potentially expanding the regulations to include other animals  such as ferrets, African rodents and “other pet animals.” The proposed  changes would be designed to prevent the introduction of zoonotic diseases into  the United States.

Currently, CDC, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, regulates the importation of dogs and cats into the U.S. to
prevent the entry of zoonotic diseases. Dogs and cats are subject to
inspection at ports of entry for evidence of infectious diseases
transmissible to humans. If a dog or cat appears to be ill, inspectors
may further require examination by a licensed veterinarian. Currently,
imported dogs are required to have been vaccinated for rabies or if not are
subject to 30-day confinement (quarantine) post vaccination upon arrival in the
U.S.

CDC noted that there are reports of large shipments of puppies being
imported for immediate sale with the majority of the animals being
below vaccination age. Additionally, current regulations do not require that
a dog be accompanied by a standard international health certificate signed by
a licensed veterinary authority in the country of origin. Also, rabies
vacations for cats and ferrets are not required. Zoonoses, diseases
transferable from animals to humans, pose a great threat because of new
human diseases that can arise from animal sources. In 2003, the
introduction of SARS was linked to cats sold in China and that same year an outbreak  of monkey pox occurred in the United States that was ultimately traced  back to the importation of African rodents.

CDC also noted that the importation of wild animals 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 U.S., which
creates the opportunity for widespread exposure to humans. High mortality rates among some animals, such as rodents, (and pot cakes) are common and
current U.S. regulations do not require importers to have examinations
performed to determine whether the mortality is from a disease that could have an  adverse effect on public health. CDC believes a number of approaches could  limit the transmission of zoonotic diseases. Some suggested solutions include the following:

•

Screening animals with reliable laboratory tests;

Treating animals experimentally for known diseases; or

Quarantining the animals upon entry into the U.S. for an incubation
period or duration of transmissibility.

However, CDC recognizes that most of these suggestions are not feasible
because of the large number of  imported animals, and control measures
cannot prevent new diseases for which there is no treatment.  CDC
claims that the majority of imported animals are wild-caught, not
captive-raised
CDC is seeking comments from a wide array of stakeholders: the pet
industry, pet owners, animal breeders, retailers, distributors, importers, veterinarians, epidemiologists, physicians, animal-welfare and conservation groups,  zoos, transportation companies, etc. as well as Federal, state, and local agencies.

The CDC is specifically requesting information on the economic,
regulatory management, as well as the social, health and political impact of any changes that might be recommended. PIJAC is requesting members of the
pet trade to forward such information to PIJAC as soon as possible to
ensure that it is encompassed in PIJAC’s comments. PIJAC will only be
submitting data in the aggregate  (individual members’ information will not be
provided to the agency). You should also forward your comments directly to CDC.

As noted, CDC believes that the current regulations may not be
sufficient to prevent the entry of canine strains of rabies and other diseases into  the United States. CDC believes that many animals imported into the United States for the commercial pet trade present a risk to human health, and
the agency is seeking public input on a number of questions, pertaining to
dogs, cats, ferrets and other animals.

Specific areas of interest to CDC include:

Dogs, Cats and Ferrets

Should the current dog/cat import regulations be modified to require

International health certificates

Serologic evidence of immunity

The effective timeframe for vaccinations

Which disease should be covered by a required health certificate?

Are such requirements economically feasible?

Are there benefits or shortcomings to a health certificate requirement
reflecting the animal’s “true health status?”

Are such certificates easily falsified?

Are there other methods that could be utilized to demonstrate the
health status of the animal?

Should each animal have a unique identifier (i.e. tattoo, microchip)
and if so what are the difficulties in implementing such a requirement,
including reading the device or identifier and the maintenance of a database?

What are the cost implications of such a requirement?

Are there alternative identification methods?

Can one be assured procedures are properly administered in another
country?

Should importation be limited to ports of entry where CDC personnel are
located and quarantine stations are located (20 cities in US, Hawaii
and Puerto Rico)?

Should animals traveling with their owners be exempted?

What other types of examinations would be appropriate?

What impacts (positive or negative) affecting businesses might occur?
What would be the cost impacts in the short, medium and long terms (e.g. 1
year, 10 years, 30 years)?

How would such requirements impact small entities and how might these
impacts be reduced or avoided? Would any reduction of impact on small
entities adversely affect the potential effectiveness of the rules?

African Rodents and Other Animals

Should CDC establish a list of species or categories of high-risk
animals for which importation is restricted (i.e. prohibited or subject to some
form of tests and controls)? If so, what criteria should be utilized?

•

Should listings be limited to large taxonomic groups (i.e. rodents) or
directed at specific species? •

Should limits/restrictions be on a limited geographical basis (i.e.,
specific counties or regions) or more broadly?

If CDC were to list species or subsets of species, how difficult would
it be for inspectors at ports to accurately identify the animals, especially
look-alikes?

•Should the revised rules focus on restricting the importation of
diseases not already present in US or should they also cover enzootic diseases  that may pose a health risk, such as Salmonellosis?

• What data sources should CDC rely upon when developing a
prioritized list of covered diseases? •

Should shipments of restricted species be limited to designated ports
of entry staffed with CDC personnel? What would be the impact on pet
owners, the pet industry, and the scientific research communities?

What impact would the inclusion of other species have on the U.S.
market for rearing these animals domestically?

What impact would such changes have on the illegal trade of restricted
animal species?

Should CDC impose quarantine periods to cover the risks of diseases
that have incubation periods AND allow general health status assessments?

If animals become ill or die during quarantine, should they be subject
to diagnostic tests or necropsies? Is so, who bears the cost?

How would such changes affect current tracking and handling of animals?

What methods might improve record-keeping for regulating these animals
to facilitate more rapid tracking during a public health investigation?

What impacts (positive or negative) affecting businesses might occur?
What would be the cost impacts in the short, medium and long terms (e.g. 1
year, 10 years, 30 years)?

How would such requirements impact small entities and how might they be
reduced or avoided?

Would any reduction of impact on small entities adversely influence the
potential effectiveness of the rules?

Written comments are due to CDC on or before October 1, 2007 –
extended comment period to 12/1/07.

Read the regulation carefully and submit comments to:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Division of Global Migration and Quarantine

ATTN: Animal Importation Regulations

1600 Clifton Road, NE (E03)

Atlanta, GA 30333.

NOTE that comments may also be submitted:

electronically via http://www.regulations.gov, or

by email to [email protected].

Copies of the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking can be found on
CDC’s website at
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq”www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq
(click on Foreign Quarantine Regulations, Advance Notice of Proposed
Revision under News and Highlights).