Fact Check: Can the HPV Vaccine Cause HIV Infection?

August 17, 2026 | 07:50 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A post is circulating on Facebook [archive] and Threads claiming that the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine can cause a person to become infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). These accounts state that children, teenagers, and college students are exposed to HIV not because they’ve been infected or engaged in casual sex, but as a result of the HPV vaccine. The poster recounts a conversation he had with a pimp at a red-light district in Bandung.

“He said that because of the HPV injection, some of his workers actually contracted HIV. Especially since the HPV vaccine was still in the experimental stage between 2006 and 2008,” the post stated on August 2, 2026. Is it true that the HPV vaccine can cause HIV?

FACT CHECK

The Tempo Fact Check Team verified the claim by interviewing a virus researcher and consulting credible sources. The findings show no scientific evidence linking the HPV vaccine to HIV infection. HPV and HIV are caused by two different viruses.

Differences Between HPV and HIV

According to the Universitas Gadjah Mada Academic Hospital in Yogyakarta, HPV is a virus that causes sexually transmitted infections. It triggers infections of the skin and mucous membranes that can develop into malignancies. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health defines HIV as a virus that attacks and weakens the human immune system's ability to fight infections and diseases.

Universitas Airlangga virologist Arif Ansori emphasized that the HPV vaccine serves to prevent HPV infections, particularly those caused by types that trigger cervical cancer. The vaccine contains neither HIV nor any HIV-related components. "HPV and HIV are two different viruses," Arif Ansori stated in a written message to Tempo on Monday, August 10, 2026.

A member of the Ministry of Health’s National Committee on Adverse Events Following Immunization added that the production of the HPV vaccine involves absolutely no HIV genetic material. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that prophylactic HPV vaccines are produced using virus-like particle (VLP) technology. These particles are formed from the HPV L1 protein, assembled to resemble the virus's outer shell.

This structure is essentially an empty "shell" devoid of viral genetic material. Consequently, the VLPs in the HPV vaccine cannot replicate and do not trigger infection in the recipient. "Given this mechanism, it is impossible for the HPV vaccine to transform into HIV or cause an HIV infection," said Arif.

He acknowledged the possibility of cases where someone contracts HIV after receiving the HPV vaccine; however, the chronological sequence of events does not prove a causal link. Tracing HIV transmission requires accurate medical data: HIV tests taken before and after infection, exposure history, partner status, needle usage, transfusions, and laboratory investigations. "Without such medical data, stories circulating on social media cannot be considered scientific evidence," Arif stated.

HIV Transmission

HIV is not caused by the HPV vaccine. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HIV is transmitted through the bodily fluids of an infected person. Transmission routes include unprotected anal or vaginal sexual intercourse, the use of contaminated needles, and mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.

HIV attacks white blood cells and weakens the immune system, making the infected person susceptible to tuberculosis, various infections, and cancer. In its advanced stage, HIV progresses to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

164 Countries Use the HPV Vaccine

The WHO notes that two high-risk HPV genotypes—HPV 16 and 18—are responsible for approximately 70 percent of cervical cancer cases globally. The first HPV vaccine, Gardasil, received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 8, 2006.

FDA data classifies Gardasil as a proven biological product for preventing HPV-related diseases. "That approval certainly does not mean monitoring of the vaccine has ceased," said Arif Ansori. The WHO has confirmed that global clinical trial data and post-marketing surveillance indicate that HPV vaccines are safe and effective.

In Indonesia, the Ministry of Health has incorporated HPV immunization into the national cervical cancer prevention program. According to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 164 countries had implemented HPV immunization programs as of January 2026—up from 149 countries in 2024 and 117 countries five years prior.

Conclusion

The claim that HPV vaccines cause HIV is false. HPV and HIV are two distinct viruses. HPV vaccines utilize virus-like particle technology; they do not contain viral genetic material, cannot replicate, are non-infectious, and cannot transform into HIV. HIV infection occurs only through exposure to the bodily fluids of an infected person—such as through unprotected sexual intercourse, the use of contaminated needles, or mother-to-child transmission. HPV vaccines are not a route of HIV transmission.

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