Animal health is facing a ‘MMR moment’ due to fewer pet owners getting their pets vaccinated, according to the British Veterinary Association.
The group says that dog ownership forum websites and Facebook groups are the main cause of anti-vax sentiment, with 95% of vets questioned for the study saying their clients’ challenges were influenced by internet research, reported the Telegraph.
BVA junior vice president Daniella Dos Santos said: “We know from the example of the MMR vaccine and its now-disproven link to autism in children that scaremongering can lead to a loss of public confidence and knee-jerk reactions that can lead to outbreaks of disease.
“We are worried that this may be a continuing trend and pet owners lose confidence in vaccinations when they are [the] ways to prevent horrible devastating disease.”
