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.

    • Ech@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      30 survivors in 5000 years = 1/167. Apparently it’s about 4000 years, so 1/133. My bad.

      • blanketswithsmallpox@kbin.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        1 year ago

        Do you believe the earth is 5000 years old or something?

        The first unvaccinated person to live from rabies was in 2004 due to the Milwaukee Protocol.

        2023 - 2004 = 19. 29/19 = 1.53 survivors per year.

        • Ech@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          1 year ago

          You’re taking this way more seriously than it was intended. It was an off the cuff comment. I just took the known history of rabies and divided it by known survivors.