Key Objectives:
This session will include a brief overview of CDC’s current animal importation regulations, a summary of recent events and evaluations that have highlighted regulatory or policy gaps, and discussion of ways CDC can assist the states in upholding CDC’s regulations.
Brief Summary:
As part of its mission to prevent the introduction and spread of communicable diseases into the United States, CDC regulates the importation of select animals associated with zoonotic diseases, as well as products made from those animals. Among the animals CDC regulates are nonhuman primates, dogs, cats, turtles with carapace length less than 4 inches, civets, African rodents, and bats. In 2010, the U.S. Government Accountability Office released a report that identified gaps in the statutory and regulatory framework governing live animal imports that could allow the introduction and spread of zoonotic diseases. While the regulations for importation of nonhuman primates were updated in 2013, some of CDC’s regulations, such as those governing the importation of dogs and cats, are decades old and not consistent with current public health thinking or state regulations. Other restrictions, such as those on African rodents and civets, were published reactively as part of emergency response to identified outbreaks and may be too narrow in scope to fully protect the public. The recent importation of a rabid dog with falsified rabies vaccination documents demonstrated the importance of remaining vigilant for imported zoonotic disease threats and the potential need for increased oversight by CDC and its public health partners for items arriving on our shores. This event also highlighted the need for CDC to review its regulations on animal importation and identify gaps in oversight or enforcement. During this session, the presenters will provide an overview of the existing CDC animal importation regulations and discuss gaps and potential areas of improvement with state veterinarians and other key stakeholders.