Resurfaced Video Circulating Online Sparks Concerns About HPV Vaccine Safety
Gardasil ®9 is a vaccine that protects against 9 types of cancer-causing human papillomavirus (HPV) types, providing broad protection against a virus that is associated with cervical, anal, and throat cancers as well as ano-genital warts. The FDA approved it in 2014 after large-scale clinical trials found no increased risk of death and very high safety and effectiveness. Since widescale vaccination began, research has found steep declines in the incidence of cervical precancers among young women in the United States.
Discussions about HPV vaccine safety spiked online after an older video resurfaced of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. falsely stating that “the death rates in the Gardasil trials were 37 time the death rates for cervical cancer.” While some participants died during the trial, their deaths were attributed to unrelated causes. In fact, research before and after its approval shows that since HPV vaccination in the U.S. began, there have been significant reductions in cervical cancer death rates among U.S. women under 25.
A popular post on X, from an account with approximately 279,000 followers, shared the video of Kennedy on February 15 without any context on when or where Kennedy made the statement. In five days, the post received approximately 19,000 reposts, 52,000 likes, and 11,000 bookmarks. A political commentator known for sharing false claims about vaccines shared the post and amplified these false statements, with text that read, “This is the [vaccine] that injured me many moons ago. Grateful it happened though bc it woke me up to the Big Pharma scam and saved my children from vaccines.” This re-post received approximately 33,000 likes, 7,200 reposts, and 700 comments as of February 25.
Some of the 2,800 comments on the original post disputed or denounced this claim, but many commenters stated that they would not get HPV vaccines for themselves or their children due to unfounded concerns about the vaccines’ safety. Research shows that hundreds of millions of people have received HPV vaccines with no serious safety concerns reported.
HPV vaccines have faced controversy since the first HPV vaccine was approved in 2006, with some people making unfounded and false claims that HPV vaccines cause cancer and infertility and encourage risky sexual behavior. Doubts about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines have spurred waning confidence in vaccines across the board, which has contributed to declining HPV vaccination rates. These claims are resurfacing as a lawsuit against Gardasil’s manufacturer, Merck, gains media attention due to its connection to Kennedy. The case is currently paused until September, when it will reconvene with a new jury. This is likely to fuel the re-emergence of these claims close to September, as similar beliefs have historically gained traction when lawsuits against Merck receive media coverage.
