"Growing Doubt: US Dog Owners Increasingly Skeptical of Vaccines, Including Rabies"
A study published in the medical journal Vaccine reveals that 53% of dog owners in the US have concerns about the safety, efficacy, or necessity of vaccinating their dogs, including for rabies. The study also found that 37% of dog owners worry that vaccines could cause cognitive issues or autism in dogs, despite the lack of scientific evidence supporting this theory. This growing skepticism, known as Canine Vaccine Hesitancy (CVH), not only poses risks to canine and human populations by facilitating the spread of infectious diseases but also affects veterinary care providers' mental and physical health. The study warns that if CVH continues to rise, vaccination rates for rabies and other diseases could drop below the recommended 70%, leading to deleterious health consequences for both humans and animals.