RFK Jr.'s Past Claims About The HPV Vaccine Are Trending — And Experts Have Thoughts

Some of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s past claims and criticisms about the HPV vaccine have been resurfacing on social media this week in light of his recent confirmation as the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

But medical experts continue to stress the benefits of thevaccine and its effectiveness.

The vaccine worksagainst human papillomavirus, which can cause various types of cancer and is the leading cause of cervical cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Kennedy, a notorious vaccine skeptic, has previously shared claims on X, formerly Twitter, that he believes the HPV vaccine appears to increase the risk of cervical cancer, and that the shot is “dangerous and defective,” despite researchshowing that the vaccine is safe and highly effective in preventing the development of cervical cancer. What’s more, studies have shown that women who are vaccinated against HPV are more likely to get screened for cervical cancer.

Dr. Amesh A. Adalja, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said that Kennedy’s past claims that the vaccine may actually be linked to an increased risk of developing cervical cancer is “complete fabrication” and “just another example of RFK Jr.’s brazen lying.”

“The HPV vaccine has been shown to decrease cervical cancer and precancerous lesions,” Adalja told HuffPost.

Kennedy has long been criticized for his various conspiracy theories about vaccines and his vaccine-related lawsuits. Last month, hundreds of scientists and medical professionals signed a letter urging the Senate to reject Kennedy’s nomination to lead HHS due to his “unfounded, fringe beliefs.” Moreover, Kennedy didn’t directly answer whether he stood by his past claims about the HPV vaccine when pressed about it during his confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill.

And now that his past HPV vaccine claims have resurfaced on X, doctors and other medical experts are sounding the alarm on misinformation about the vaccine that’s being spread online.

On Saturday, Dr. Alastair McAlpine, a pediatrician, weighed in on Kennedy’s past doubts about the vaccine’s effectiveness, writing on X: “Countries with mass HPV vaccination have seen rates of cervical drop to ZERO.”

Kennedy’s “rhetoric kills people,” he added.

What types of cancers are caused by HPV, and how is the virus spread?

In addition to cervical cancer, HPV infections can cause several types of the disease, including anal cancer, oropharyngeal (throat) cancer, penile cancer, vaginal cancer and vulvar cancer.

Some HPV infections are sexually transmitted — spread through vaginal, anal or oral sex — and are considered high risk or low risk, according to the National Cancer Institute.

High-risk types of HPV can increase cancer risk, while low-risk HPVs rarely cause cancer, the agency states. Some types of low-risk HPVs can cause warts “on or around the genitals, anus, mouth or throat.” (HPV can also spread via nonsexual skin-to-skin contact.)

While many HPV infections resolve on their own, some may persist and become cancerous.

“While it is true that most HPV infections clear on their own, almost all cases of cervical, vaginal, vulvar, anal and penile cancers (and some proportion of head/neck cancers) are related to HPV infections,” Adalja said. “The vaccine is designed to protect against that possibility.”

Ha Ngan (Milkie) Vu, an assistant professor of preventive medicine and medical social sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, pointed out that HPV-related cancers “can take years to develop.”

“Every year in the U.S., about 24,000 women and 17,000 men develop HPV-related cancers,” she told HuffPost, adding that “around 360,000 new cases of genital warts occur annually.”

“These are not rare conditions, nor are they harmless,” she said. “The HPV vaccine is a safe and effective way to prevent these diseases before they ever develop.”

“Dismissing the vaccine because HPV ‘commonly resolves itself’ is like saying people don’t need seatbelts because not every car crash is fatal,” she continued. “Preventing a disease is always better than treating it.”

“Protecting children before they are exposed to HPV is the best way to make sure they will never have to face these risks,” she added.

According to the NCI, virtually all cervical cancer is caused by HPV. Over 90% of anal cancer is caused by HPV, and a majority of cases of oropharyngeal, penile, vaginal and vulvar cancers are also caused by the virus.

Who does the CDC recommend get the HPV vaccine and when?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children ages 11-12 get two doses of the HPV vaccine, given six to 12 months apart. The vaccine can be given starting at age 9.

“All preteens need HPV vaccination, so they are protected from HPV infections that can cause cancer later in life,” the organization states on its website.

The CDC recommends that teens and young adults through age 26 get the vaccination if they hadn’t previously started or finished the series. (Read more details on the CDC’s age and timeline guidelines for the vaccine here.)

“The vaccine is most effective if children receive it before they are exposed to the virus. Immune responses at younger ages are also more robust,” Vu said.

The vaccine, which was introduced in the U.S. in 2006, was initially recommended for girls before the routine vaccination recommendation was expanded to boys years later.

Adalja emphasized that boys should get the vaccine since “males can develop penile, anal and head/neck cancers as well as genital warts.”

Vu added: “Beyond individual protection, the HPV vaccine also helps reduce the overall spread of the virus by preventing infections that could unknowingly be passed to partners.”

As for common side effects of the vaccine, the Cleveland Clinic states that reactions may include soreness or swelling at the injection site, headache, muscle or joint pain, dizziness, fever and nausea. The nonprofit added that severe allergic reactions are rare.

Vu emphasized that the HPV vaccine was in development for years before it was approved in 2006. Vaccines “must pass through multiple phases of clinical trials that involve thousands of participants” before it’s licensed or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, she said.

“Scientists must provide extensive data on safety, effectiveness, potential risks and side effects” of the vaccine, and “even after the HPV vaccine was approved, there is still ongoing research to evaluate its safety and effectiveness over longer [periods] of time in different populations of participants,” she added.

Vu said the HPV vaccine is “one of the most extensively studied vaccines.”

“It is very safe. More than 270 million doses have been administered globally, including over 135 million doses in the U.S.” she continued. “Multiple large-scale safety studies involving millions of people have compared vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.”

Some adolescents may experience fainting after receiving a vaccination, including the HPV shot.

Vu said that severe reactions, such as a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), are “exceptionally rare.”

“In the United States, anaphylaxis following vaccination has a reported rate of 3 cases per 1 million doses administered,” she said. “For perspective, you have a higher chance of being struck by lightning in your lifetime than experiencing anaphylaxis from the HPV vaccine.”

“People with severe allergies to any component of a vaccine should not receive that vaccine,” she added.

And Vu says that the benefits of the vaccine are clear.

“Since the HPV vaccine became available in the U.S. in 2006, cervical cancer rates and related deaths have considerably dropped among vaccine-eligible age groups,” Vu said.

In November, researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina published a study suggesting that a 62% drop in cervical cancer deaths among women under age 25 over the past decade is likely due to the HPV vaccination.

“We cannot think of any other reason that would have contributed to such a marked decline,” the study’s senior author Ashish Deshmukh said.

“The HPV vaccine is one of the few vaccines in existence that directly protects against cancer. It’s incredible that we have a vaccine that can prevent deadly cancers,” Vu said. “Just a few decades ago, this was unimaginable. We often dream about cures for cancer, but with the HPV vaccine, we already have a powerful tool to prevent it.”