Almost 1 in 10 Americans think vaccines are unsafe

The MMR vaccine is almost 100 percent effective in preventing the disease.
(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

A new poll from the Pew Research Center has revealed that nearly one in 10 Americans believe that vaccines for diseases such as measles, mumps, and rubella aren't safe for children.

The vaccine distrust spanned party lines, too — five percent of Republicans and nine percent of Democrats believed vaccines are unsafe. Only 83 percent of those polled believe the measles vaccine is safe for healthy children, while nine percent believe vaccines are unsafe, and seven percent said they "don't know."

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Meghan DeMaria

Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.