On 27 May 2026, Italy confirmed a rabies case in a dog in Vittorio Veneto, Treviso Province, Veneto Region. Investigations revealed that the dog had been illegally imported into Italy in December 2025 following a family member’s tourist trip to Morocco.
This is the first reported rabies case in northeastern Italy in approximately 15 years and has triggered enhanced public health and veterinary control measures in Vittorio Veneto including 32 individuals receiving post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
The incident highlights the ongoing risk of rabies introduction into rabies-free areas through the illegal importation of pets from rabies-endemic countries.