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
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      210 months ago

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

      • blanketswithsmallpox
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        310 months 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
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          210 months 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.