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

BackgroundTo 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.MethodsWe 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.ResultsAmong 1643 women, 30.1% reported HPV vaccination. Vaccinated women had lower unadjusted HSV-1 (41.9% vs 47.8%, <i>p</i> = 0.034) and HSV-2 prevalence (9.9% vs 15.2%, <i>p</i> = 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.ConclusionsHPV 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.