Vaccine hesitancy has spread to pet owners in recent years, sparking concerns about the resurgence of rabies, a virus that is almost always fatal.
Some pet owners oppose vaccinating dogs – due to fears that vaccines will shorten dogs’ lifespans or the belief that vaccines can cause autism in dogs. But the spectrum of autism symptoms is uniquely human, and experts say anti-vaccination campaigns among dog owners are particularly dangerous given the public health consequences of rabies.
“While fortunately we don’t see a lot of rabies, the consequences are dire,” Dr. Rena Carlson, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, told USA TODAY. “It’s basically 100% fatal. It is therefore very important to have a rabies vaccine for your cat and dog on several levels.
The AVMA’s Carlson stressed how important it is for people to talk with their veterinarians about the vaccine and the risks a pet faces if not vaccinated.
What is rabies?
Rabies is spread when an infected animal bites or scratches someone, invading the mammals’ nervous system. The virus becomes particularly dangerous when it reaches the brain. The incubation period can last several days or more than a year.
When rabies enters the brain, it causes flu-like symptoms that make animals rabid and develop brain swelling. The disease becomes fatal when an infected person or animal suddenly loses breathing and heart function.
Rabies Concern:This strain of rabies had never appeared west of the Appalachians, until a stray kitten appeared in Nebraska.
The risks of not vaccinating against the disease apparently do not seem to arouse the interest of some pet owners.
Matt Motta, an assistant professor at the Boston University School of Public Health, calls it a “ripple effect” among people hesitant about human vaccines, a population that has exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic. He worries that “canine vaccine hesitancy” could grow in states that mandate rabies vaccines. If these laws were dismantled, it would threaten decades-old and proven health initiatives.
“We could see a situation where more and more dogs are not vaccinated,” he told USA TODAY. “This poses a public health threat, not only to our pets, but to all of us.”
Motta and her sister, Pennsylvania veterinarian Dr. Gabriella Motta, published a 2023 study finding that nearly 40% of American dog owners believe dog vaccines are unsafe. Around 37% of owners thought their dogs might develop autism following vaccination.
The reality, Motta says, is that the rabies vaccine is safe.
About two in a million dogs suffer serious complications from a vaccine.
Canine autism is not a recognized disease, the AVMA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told USA TODAY. The idea that the human measles, mumps and rubella vaccine causes autism in children has long been disproven. However, it continues to prevail, pushing some to refuse to vaccinate their children. That avoidance has contributed to several recent outbreaks, according to public officials, who have issued warnings and said vaccines are vital for community health. Avoidance of pet vaccines follows a similar pattern.
Public health:How is leprosy spread in the United States? Some experts mention armadillos.
As they did with measles, health officials have worked for decades to eradicate canine rabies, a variant specific to dogs. Successful public health campaigns included leash laws, use of animal shelters, and vaccination. Variants of rabies in North American wildlife still circulate and can infect dogs.
Rabid dogs remain an international concern: almost all people who die from rabies contract it from dog bites. There are typically around 59,000 deaths per year.
Dr. Ryan Wallace, head of the CDC’s rabies program, said about 75 million dogs have been vaccinated over the past three years, meaning there does not appear to be a decline in vaccinations despite the change in vaccinations. ‘opinion. The AVMA, like the CDC, has not seen a major drop in vaccinations, although the numbers are difficult to track.
Wallace said it’s important to distinguish between people’s perceptions of pet vaccines, with some expressing hesitancy, and firm mandates that require dogs to be vaccinated in most states, which owners animals, for the most part, nevertheless seem to respect.
A common problem in public health is that when systems are working, people don’t see the problems in front of them. Although there are few deaths from rabies in the United States — about one to three per year — 60,000 Americans have received a rabies vaccine after contact with an animal they suspected of being rabid. And rabies still circulates among wild animals.
“We focus on the number of these rare deaths,” he said, “but the focus should really be on how often people and their pets are exposed to rabid animals. Because ‘they are everywhere.”
News Source : www.usatoday.com
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