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QUARANTINE
First broadcast on www.provet.co.uk on January 8th 2000 |
This information is provided by Provet for educational purposes only.
You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.
Many countries in the world retain strict quarantine controls to prevent the importation of human, animal and plant diseases. From 28th February 2000 the UK (whose rabies-free status is the envy of many parts of the world) will allow certain pets to enter from Western Europe without the need for them to undergo a period of containment in a quarantine kennel - even though all other countries in the EC have endemic rabies in their wildlife.
The objective of quarantine is to prevent serious diseases entering a country and becoming endemic in the local population (plants, humans or animals - domestic or wild). There are many exotic diseases which we should want to avoid importing - especially those which pose a potential threat to human health - ebola virus, heartworm and, of course, rabies.
Quarantine systems involve containing incoming animals in a secure environment for a period of observation sufficiently long that if an animal is carrying a disease it will show signs, and can be treated (or otherwise dealt with) before it is allowed into contact with other animals in the country. In the UK the statutory period for quarantine has been 6 months. Even that is not long enough for some infectious cases. Rabies has developed in an imported dog AFTER it had completed it's quarantine period and it had been running around free in the British countryside.
The main criticisms of quarantine systems are :
- Stress on kenneled animals and owners - separated for 6 months
- Cost
- Unnecessary bureaucracy
- Scientific invalidity as a method of preventative health in view of modern developments in vaccinations
Without going into all the arguments for and against the decision to relax the quarantine regulations, the UK Government has announced the launch of a Pilot Scheme and from 28th February 2000 cats and dogs can enter or re-enter the UK from the following :
| Andorra | France | Italy | Norway | Switzerland |
| Austria | Germany | Liechtenstein | Portugal (including Azores, Madiera) | Vatican |
| Belgium | Gibraltar | Luxembourg | San Marino | |
| Denmark | Greece | Monaco | Spain (including Canary Islands) | |
| Finland | Iceland | Netherlands | Sweden |
The pilot scheme ONLY applies to pets that have a valid "passport" containing the following :
| A veterinary certificate that the animal has been microchipped | A veterinary certificate that the animal has been vaccinated against rabies | A veterinary certificate that the animal has been satisfactorily blood tested for rabies |
| A veterinary certificate that the animal has been treated against ticks in the 24-48 hour period before entry into the UK | A veterinary certificate that the animal has been treated against tapeworms in the 24-48 hours before entry into the UK | A declaration by the owner that the animal has only been in countries in Western Europe that are included in the pilot scheme, in the 6 months prior to entry into the UK. |
If an owner attempts to import an animal that does not have the correct documentation :
- It can be deported to the country of origin, OR
- It must go into quarantine for a 6 month period
Finally, the pilot scheme will only be in operation for specified routes into the UK which are :
| By air on specified routes from the EC to London Heathrow Airport ONLY |
| By car/train - through the Channel Tunnel from Coquelles to Cheriton |
| By sea - from Calais-Dover, from Cherbourg, Caen, Le Havre or St Malo to Portsmouth |
Only time will tell if the new policy is sensible, and if animal and human health is not being put in jeopardy.
For further information about the scheme visit the UK Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food web site at :
www.maff.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/default.htm