The anti-vaxxers simply won’t let science get in the way of senseless fearmongering. In fact, the fear they spread prompted the British Veterinary Association to issue a statement last week: Dogs cannot develop autism. Their message is that dog owners should keep vaccinating their pets against diseases because fear that animal would develop autism is unfounded.
The theory that childhood vaccines may cause autism was discredited, but that hasn’t stopped the farce from jumping species. Veterinarians fear the falsehood could cause vaccination rates to fall.
Source: New York Times, April 27, 2018 (paywall). Link.
“We are aware of an increase in anti-vaccination pet owners in the U.S. who have voiced concerns that vaccinations may lead to their dogs developing autism-like behavior. There’s currently no reliable scientific evidence to indicate autism in dogs (or its link to vaccines),” the [British Veterinary] association said in its tweet. Link.
Also see: Smart vaccination for dogs is NOT “anti-vaccination”, Whole Dog Journal, April 13, 2018. Link.
Just because I don’t want my dog OVERVACCINATED doesn’t mean I am anti-vaccination – far from it, writes Nancy Kerns. I am grateful – that’s actually too weak of a word – for vaccination technology.