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.

  • geekworking@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    The truly ironic thing is that the fact that vaccines worked so well at eliminating so many horrible diseases is why these chuckle fucks don’t think that they need vaccines.

    If they never saw a loved one killed or permanently fucked up from disease it must not exist or it’s no a big deal. They are completely oblivious to the fact that vaccines are the reason why they never saw the suffering and death first hand.

    • Urbanfox@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      The sentiment is different now though around becoming unwell with one of these diseases. They’ll argue they caught it from vaccine shedding rather than naturally so it will just make them even more psychotic on the antivax soapbox.

      Andrew Wakefield has a lot to answer for by rocket powering our regression in modern medicine.

    • twistypencil@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Yeah, I feel like anyone who denies a vaccine should be forced to watch a graphic video about people who suffer the effects of measles, mumps, reubella or rabies or whatever they are wanting to deny and then can make their choice if they want that, or to believe a Baywatch star regurgitate nonsense

    • Bytemeister@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Unfortunately, Herman Caine awards are a thing. There were plenty of honorable mentions where the person caught COVID, went through a long, expensive, and arduous recovery, and they are still staunchly anti-vax. The damage the far right media has done to the world will take at least a generation of aggressive countermeasures to correct.