More than half of U.S. dog owners expressed concerns about vaccinating their dogs, including against rabies, according to a new study published Saturday in the journal Vaccine. The study comes as anti-vaccine sentiments among humans have exploded in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pets are now often considered to be a member of the family, and their health-care decisions are weighed with the same gravity. But the consequences of not vaccinating animals can be just as dire as humans. Dogs, for example, are responsible for 99% of rabies cases globally. Rabies, which is often transmitted via a bite, is almost always fatal for animals and people once clinical signs appear. A drop in rabies vaccination could constitute a serious public health threat.

In the new study, the authors surveyed 2,200 people and found 53% had some concern about the safety, efficacy or necessity of canine vaccines. Nearly 40% were concerned that vaccines could cause dogs to develop autism, a theory without any scientific merit.

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    831 year ago

    It’s really sad too.

    One interpretation of the cause of this problem is that vaccines are just too effective. No one has polio, not to mention even chicken pox.

    A resurgence of rabies (or, god forbid, small pox) will clear that up real quick.

    Then again, too much of this planet have been fed a steady diet of propaganda for most of their adult lives.

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      1 year ago

      I literally saw lady letting fucking hellspawn of a child COVERED IN CHICKEN POX run around barefoot at Aldi a few weeks ago. I was so panicked I didn’t know what to do because I didn’t even see them until I was walking out so I just got out as fast as I could. My wife has never had chickenpox, and adult chickenpox can apparently be much more deadly, so it was definitely kind of terrifying.

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        1 year ago

        And? All that needs to happen for a major world outbreak now that almost no one has any immunity is for it to escape from a lab or a vial in cardboard box somewhere.

        How many millions died from COVID? Try billions.

        Let me tell you what, that would sure reduce our carbon footprint and the price of housing.

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        1 year ago

        It’s extinct in the wild. It’s still frozen in labs, and the soviet union made it in vast quantities before falling apart. There’s also samples sitting around that are occasionally found.

        It’s not completely gone. That’s why they still vaccinate you for it when you join the military.

        A simple search would tell you that there is a great deal of controversy over the fact that this virus is not gone forever.

        Try to be better and not amplify false statements.