A March 2024 study suggests that the HPV vaccine causes autoimmune diseases, according to a narrative launched by the American conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’s portal, infowars.com, which was picked up in Romania by activenews.ro, an online publication with an anti-vaccination rhetoric.
NEWS: After nearly two decades of pediatric vaccination, the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is undergoing an official review.
A study released in March 2024, cited by The Epoch Times, indicated that the quadrivalent human papillomavirus (qHPV) vaccine may increase the risk of developing several autoimmune diseases.
The retrospective cohort study published on March 7 in Vaccine, titled “Evaluating the safety profile of the quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine regarding the risk of developing autoimmune, neurological and hematological diseases in adolescent girls in Colombia”, found that vaccinated female adolescents exhibited a 4.4 times higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis than those who were not vaccinated.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has commissioned a new task force with re-examining the vaccine from scratch - its efficacy, dosage, safety and long-term impact on the population.
The task force will be led by Professor Retsef Levi of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a standing member of the ACIP, who has consistently insisted on longer safety monitoring and increased transparency regarding the uncertainties related to vaccine science [...].
NARRATIVES: 1. A recent study shows that the HPV vaccine causes autoimmune diseases. 2. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has commissioned a new task force with reviewing the HPV vaccine from the ground up.
PURPOSE: To induce skepticism regarding the efficacy of vaccines in general by discrediting a new vaccine. To promote the anti-vaccination propaganda of medical conspiracy theorists.
WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: The study mentioned by Active News (which actually adopts a false narrative promoted on the website of the notorious American conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, whose disinformation theses have been debunked even in court) notes that it is possible for the vaccine to have an impact on the progression of several diseases, but it does not state that it leads to their onset. Furthermore, the authors emphasize that the study's results must be interpreted with caution and that more in-depth research is required.
On the other hand, the narrative launched by Infowars/activenews is contradicted by at least four other similar scientific studies and analyses published in specialized journals and identified by Veridica, as follows:
A meta-analysis involving over 8 million people, of whom 2 million were vaccinated against HPV, based on data from Scopus, PubMed/MEDLINE, ScienceDirect and the Cochrane Library from inception to June 2024, following PRISMA guidelines and published in April 2025, shows that:
· “[…] the results of this meta-analysis did not demonstrate a significant association between HPV vaccination and the development of autoimmune disorders. There is a clear need for additional, larger observational studies to assess the association of HPV vaccination with ADs, particularly among male recipients, as the current evidence is predominantly based on female subjects. […] Efforts to overcome barriers to HPV vaccination access and uptake are crucial to achieve the full public health benefits of HPV vaccination. By strengthening the vaccination infrastructure, enhancing education and communication strategies, we can potentially maximize the impact of HPV vaccination in reducing the burden of HPV-associated diseases”.
Another similar meta-analysis published in 2018, including over 200,000 subjects, which also fails to find a link between the HPV vaccine and the onset or exacerbation of autoimmune diseases, can be consulted here.
A study conducted by specialists from two medical departments in Taiwan shows that “HPV4 vaccination is not associated with an increased risk of JIA (juvenile idiopathic arthritis, e.n.)”:
· “On the contrary, vaccination may confer a long-term protective effect against new-onset JIA, observable from 6–12 months and lasting for at least 3 years. These findings support the safety and possible immunoregulatory benefit of HPV4 in female adolescents”.
Another study conducted by French specialists in France across 113 specialized centers, which monitored the risk of developing autoimmune disorders associated with the HPV vaccine for four years (2007-2011) in girls aged 14 to 26, shows that:
· “No evidence was observed of an increased risk of the studied autoimmune disorders following vaccination with Gardasil during the analyzed periods. The statistical power was insufficient to allow for conclusions regarding each individual autoimmune disorder”.
2. Veridica's documentation shows that, at the time of this article's publication, there is no evidence on the CDC website to support the claim that the institution will review the HPV vaccine from scratch.
On the contrary, the CDC states the following on its official website:
· “HPV vaccine is safe and effective at preventing HPV-related infections and cancers. Vaccines, like any medicine, can have side effects. Many people who get the HPV vaccine have no side effects at all. The most common side effects are usually mild, like a sore arm from the shot”;
· “HPV vaccination provides safe, effective and lasting protection against HPV infections that most commonly cause cancer. The HPV vaccination schedule is most effective when administered before a person is exposed to the virus. Each year in the United States, HPV causes approximately 36,000 cases of cancer in both men and women (...) The only people who should not be vaccinated are pregnant women and individuals allergic to Gardasil”;
· “With over 135 million doses of HPV vaccines distributed in the United States, there is robust data showing that HPV vaccines are safe (...) No adverse events have been confirmed to occur at rates higher than expected following HPV vaccination”;
· “In very rare cases, a person may exhibit a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to any vaccine, including HPV vaccines. In the United States, anaphylaxis after vaccination has a reported rate of 3 cases per 1 million doses administered (...)”;
· “CDC recommends HPV vaccination for children at age 11 or 12 to protect against HPV infections that can cause certain types of cancer later in life. Vaccination can start at age 9 and is recommended up to age 26 for people who were not adequately vaccinated when they were younger”;
What is real but has been distorted is the fact that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chose Retsef Levi, a member of its primary vaccine committee (ACIP), to lead the task force for COVID-19 immunization, according to Reuters, which cited a US Health Department spokesperson in August 2025.
Levi has criticized mRNA vaccines in the past, stating they can cause serious harm and death, particularly among children, and has called for their immediate withdrawal.
BACKGROUND: This dangerous narrative is one of the oldest conspiracy theories circulated in the Romanian public sphere, predating the social networks we are accustomed to today, and even the appearance and mass use of the Internet in our country.
Among the early narratives from the early 2000s was the claim that the HPV vaccine causes infertility and is thus intended to eradicate the Romanian people.
Consequently, a quarter-century later, Romania has become the country with the highest incidence of cervical cancer and the highest mortality rate caused by this disease in the entire European Union. And the youngest patient is only 19 years old.
In an international context, this old medical conspiracy is primarily circulated by conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones, who employs pro-Russian rhetoric. Such theories have been strongly fueled recently at the highest levels in the USA, within the cabinet of President Donald Trump and his advisors, such as Retsef Levi, who was appointed to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) by the controversial US Secretary of Health, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In fact, Kennedy Jr. replaced all ACIP members in 2025 and appointed his own people.
Levi has hinted that he might soon launch a much broader review of the pediatric vaccination schedule. This could have major consequences for both public health and vaccine acceptance, according to Politico.
Kennedy appointed Levi, a professor of operations management at the MIT Sloan School of Management, to the committee in the spring of 2025. Levi is a business professor who studies decision-making in healthcare but is not a physician.
Kennedy Jr. has shocked public opinion with at least two recent statements, claiming he “does not believe in germs” and that he has snorted cocaine from toilet lids, as well as claiming that autism is caused by paracetamol (Tylenol). Levi, in turn, shocked audiences by saying that newborn babies cannot be affected by the Hepatitis B virus if the mother tests negative.
