Human papillomavirus vaccination and herpes simplex virus infection: A cross-sectional analysis of young women in the United States

Background To assess whether human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is associated with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2) infection among young women in the United States. Methods We analyzed data from the 2011–2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, including sexually active women aged 18–35 years with HSV-1 and HSV-2 serology and self-reported HPV vaccination status. Weighted prevalence estimates and logistic regression models were used to evaluate associations, adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic covariates. Propensity score–weighted analyses were conducted as sensitivity checks. Results Among 1643 women, 30.1% reported HPV vaccination. Vaccinated women had lower unadjusted HSV-1 (41.9% vs 47.8%, p = 0.034) and HSV-2 prevalence (9.9% vs 15.2%, p = 0.007). In adjusted models, HPV vaccination was not significantly associated with HSV-1 (aOR = 1.26, 95% CI: 0.94–1.70) or HSV-2 infection (aOR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.56–1.31). Sensitivity analyses confirmed these findings. Conclusions HPV vaccination was not linked to increased risk of HSV-1 or HSV-2 infection, providing HSV-specific evidence against sexual risk compensation and supporting public health messaging promoting HPV immunization.