A study out of Boston University School of Public Health highlights the concerning levels of canine vaccine hesitancy in the U.S. Published in the journal Vaccine, the study results revealed 53 percent of dog owners express some level of skepticism about vaccinating their pets. They expressed concerns about safety, efficacy and necessity.
The researchers don’t believe canine vaccine hesitancy is widespread enough to pose a current threat to public health in the U.S. However, they warn this could change if vaccine misinformation and mistrust about animal and human vaccines are not addressed with sound, scientific data.
Source: BU School of Public Health via Veterinary Practice News, September 5, 2023. VPN Link. BU Link. The study is the first to formally quantify the prevalence, origins, and health policy consequences of concerns about canine vaccination.
INSIGHTS: Public mistrust of animal vaccines as a result of misperceptions and mistrust in the safety and efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccine is as a potential factor. However, there have been concerns and hesitancies about vaccines for as long as I can remember.
Animal health pros must keep educating about the importance of vaccination over and over again despite the redundancy we feel. Resistance to rabies vaccine is a major concern, especially given the challenges around the world where rabies vaccination has not been a common practice <Link>.