Puppy illegally imported to France found to have rabies

Several people have required treatment at an anti-rabies clinic after exposure to a puppy carrying the disease. The dog had been illegally imported to the south of France from Morocco.

The puppy, which was smuggled in on December 16, died in Var on December 29, however it ‘nipped’ at least one person before its death.

“On January 5, the Nancy Laboratory for Rabies and Wildlife confirmed that the puppy had rabies,” announced the Ministry of Agriculture on Tuesday (January 16).

“The animal, which was illegally imported from Morocco, died 13 days after its introduction to France.”

All individuals who were exposed to the animal have been contacted by the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regional health authority and taken into care at an anti-rabies clinic, said the Agriculture Ministry.

The Var prefecture said that “one person had been ‘nipped’ by the dog”, but nobody was bitten. It added that an investigation had been opened into how the dog had entered France.

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Is rabies present in France?

The involvement of the Ministry of Agriculture is an indication of how seriously rabies is taken in France.

The country has been officially free of rabies since 2001, with the exception of bats, which can be asymptomatic carriers of the disease.

The importation of animals, pets or otherwise, is strictly controlled.

It is forbidden to introduce dogs and cats into France without a vaccination passport including details of valid anti-rabies vaccination, said the ministry.

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