Because they had no hard-proven data, in a peer-reviewed journal. Just saying “I think they’re not needed” without a backup data is not enough.
The AVMA and other organizations let their members know, so that they could pass it forward to the public. And the only public that I know hears Dr. Dodds are breeders, not the public at large.
Dr. Dodds had no data when she made those comments, and distributed those opinions. She was not part of the task-force or co-author of many of the papers.
Yes, it doesn’t contradict what I’ve been saying, if you read further. He is also co-author of the recent dog and cat immunology paper. Which mentions that the good long-term immunity is built by the series of booster shots during puppyhood.
Yes, all vaccines have side effects, but those are minor, in terms of population health, compared to the overall benefits, in terms of population health.
Which reminds me, there is something that happens a lot when thinking about risk vs benefit. In many areas, especially public health (and large parts of veterinary medicine), the risks and benefits are not measured in individuals, but in terms of populations. Yes, many vaccines have very low percent of adverse reactions, or very minor reactions across a population. Yes, an individual may suffer some reaction, which depending on the type, may preclude the use of that or other vaccines in the future for that person. But overall, the benefits outweigh the negatives.
Yes, a particular dog (or person) may have a reaction against a vaccine severe enough that he shouldn’t have another shot of that type. Does not mean that vaccines are bad overall, they are bad for that particular individual. And that individual is a very small minority in a large population that receives the same vaccine with no problem.
Truly, I get to hear and read reports of vaccines that are removed during trials because they cause too many adverse reactions to be considered safe enough.