Relaxation of EU dog transport requirements may threaten rabies-free regions

The relaxing of European Union (EU) regulations surrounding the cross-border transport of dogs from rabies-endemic areas has led to an increased number of under-vaccinated dogs arriving in Norway, according to a recent study led by the Oslo-based Norwegian Veterinary Institute. The study revealed that a significant percentage of rescue dogs legally transported from Eastern Europe were not adequately immunized against rabies, elevating the risk of re-introducing this deadly viral disease into regions that are currently rabies-free.

The study evaluated 75 dogs brought to Norway from Eastern Europe (primarily from Romania, where rabies is still endemic) and found that over 50% of the dogs had anti-rabies antibody levels that were below the 0.5 IU/mL standard recommended by the WHO and OIE. This is the first study conducted after cross-border transport controls were loosened that directly quantifies the actual level of rabies protection in imported rescue dogs, demonstrating that compliance with the current EU rabies vaccination requirements cannot be accurately assessed by simply reviewing rabies certification paperwork issued by the originating country.

Previous EU requirements permitted the non-commercial transport of dogs into a rabies-free region as long as a serological test for rabies antibodies was performed in addition to “pet passport” microchipping and proof-of-vaccination documentation. However, with the recent harmonization of EU dog movement policies in 2012, animals can now cross borders without having their antibody levels tested, and pets only need to be microchipped, vaccinated and de-wormed. This easing of importation requirements has inflated the population of rescue animals crossing into Norway—from 5000 in 2011 to over 7500 in 2012—increasing the number of dogs in the country that are potentially under-vaccinated for the rabies virus.

Results of the study indicate that only 45.5% of the rescue dogs had requisite rabies antibody titres of > 0.5 IU/mL compared to the 85.7% of conventionally-owned, domestic dogs used as a control population. While 41% of the imported dogs registered an antibody level below 0.5 IU/mL, a troubling number of dogs (19%) did not appear to have been vaccinated at all. The absence of antibody response in some rescued animals has raised skepticism from the study’s authors regarding the level of compliance with the current vaccination regimen required for transport.

To provide protection from the disease, dogs must be immunized prior to exposure to the virus and generate a sufficient level of antibodies.  Under-vaccinated rescue dogs and previously free-roaming dogs that are unknowingly exposed to the rabies virus prior to capture have little or no protection, and the effect of immunization on these dogs post-exposure is not well-established. There is no reliable way to establish the presence of the rabies virus in an exposed dog until symptoms appear. So to reveal an infection, dogs must undergo a lengthy observation for a period of time longer than the current 21-day quarantine requirement for transport into an EU country.

The statistics highlighted in this study raise understandable concern for EU countries importing dogs, particularly rescues from other rabies-endemic counties. Several European counties—including Britain, Ireland, Malta, Sweden and Norway—have been rabies-free for many years. However, ineffective animal transport regulations and poor compliance with immunizations could jeopardize their rabies-free status when dogs rescued from regions with active rabies infections are re-homed within their borders.

Contributed by Laura Baker, GARC newsletter assistant. The research study "Cross-border transport of rescue dogs may spread rabies in Europe" was published in the Veterinary Record.