Starting from the new year, dogs, cats, and ferrets must be vaccinated against rabies before entering Denmark. All dogs, cats, and ferrets coming from abroad must be fully vaccinated against rabies from January 1, 2025, to gain access to Denmark. This information was announced by the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (Fødevarestyrelsen) in a press release.
This vaccination requirement is already in place in many EU countries like Germany and Sweden. The requirement means that dogs, cats, and ferrets can only be brought to Denmark at the earliest when they are 15 weeks old. This is because the animals can only receive the vaccine when they are at least 12 weeks old, and the protection from the vaccine typically takes effect after 21 days.
According to the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, around 60,000 people die each year from rabies, and 99 percent of these cases are due to contact with dogs. The ferret is a domesticated ferret, kept as a pet and also known as a tame ferret. The last time a person was infected with rabies in Denmark was in 1982.