Review of CDC's Suspension of and Advance Written Approval Process for Dogs Entering the United States from Egypt - May 2019-December 2020.

ABSTRACT

Dog-maintained rabies virus variant (DMRVV) was eliminated in the United States in 2007. During 2015­2019, three dogs with rabies were imported into the United States from Egypt, where DMRVV is endemic. CDC developed a risk mitigation strategy, in consultation with a diverse group of subject matter experts, that permitted 296 dogs to be imported from Egypt during May 10, 2019­December 31, 2020, minimizing the risk for future rabid dog importations. The broadly vetted risk mitigation strategy, which included serologic testing for rabies antibody titer, improved CDC's ability to ensure that imported dogs from Egypt posed no public health risk in the United States. This strategy could be used to guide future policy decisions regarding dog importations.