RFK Jr says he wants to tackle chronic disease. His war on the HPV vaccine shows otherwise.
RFK Jr. profits by scaring people from a proven cancer prevention: that’s the opposite of combating chronic disease.
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RFK Jr is the most unqualified person to potentially lead our Department of Health and Human Services.
Today is Day 2 of RFK Jr’s Senate confirmation hearings to be our potential HHS Secretary. While I still am in disbelief that this is a real sentence I have to say, it is more urgent than ever that people understand the serious threat that RFK Jr poses to humanity. Not just Americans. Not just humans. Everything on this planet.
If you’ve missed some of my other articles on him, I’ve organized them here with the tag RFK Jr: Posts tagged with RFK Jr —they’re on the homescreen under the RFK Jr topic category. You can also type in the search bar for any keywords and find related articles.
But what everyone needs to understand is that everything he has done in his entire 40+ year legal career has been to serve himself, to exploit the fear of others, and to propagate medical conspiracism in order for him to get rich. If he is installed as Secretary of HHS, he will continue to profit while controlling the very agencies he has undermined for decades.
RFK Jr. does not want to combat chronic illness—because if he did, he could actually help reduce cancer burden.
RFK Jr. puts on a good show claiming he cares about health of Americans, but be very clear: it is a show, and nothing more.
He screams about how our foods are toxic, filled with “addictive ingredients,” and conventionally-grown foods are covered in harmful pesticides, yet none of those things are actually true. But he uses that as a way to fabricate outrage and convince the wellness industry he cares about health. In reality, he demonizes more affordable fruits and vegetables and scares people away from eating them—which has the opposite effect on health.
And since I am still getting asked how he makes money off these things: he is a lawyer. He makes money off civil lawsuits. He makes money off consulting fees. He makes money off speaking engagements, off his books, by fundraising for Children’s Health Defense, off of ad buys for his websites. He makes millions of dollars every year by spreading anti-science rhetoric—all of which is actually worsening our health, increasing our stress and anxiety levels, and eroding trust in people who actually are experts in these fields.
He is a lawyer. He is not a scientist. He is not a healthcare professional. He has zero qualifications on any topics he speaks on.
But I digress. Today I want to talk about how RFK Jr could actually help reduce the incidence and prevalence of several types of cancers which happen to be: chronic illnesses.
Instead, he profits off the opposite: scaring people away from interventions that prevent those cancers.
Yes, I’m talking about human papillomaviruses (HPVs) and the HPV vaccine.
RFK Jr has been waging war against all vaccines for decades.
His war against the HPV vaccine is not only lucrative for him, but directly increases preventable disease and death, acute AND chronic.
Human Papillomaviruses (HPV) are a broad group of over 100 viruses that infect different parts of the body.
HPVs are named because papilloma means “small wart-like growth on the skin or mucous membrane”, and yes, some HPV strains lead to warts. Not just genital warts, either. Have you ever had a plantar wart on your foot? That’s caused by HPV.
HPVs are DNA viruses in the Papillomaviridae family. Because they contain DNA as their genetic material, they can invade a host cell nucleus, which contributes to their ability to persist in our bodies longterm and lead to cancer (for the science behind this, read this article I wrote previously which details the progression of infection to cancer)
HPV is not transmitted solely through penetrative sexual activity. It can be spread via any skin-to-skin contact, which can be sexual activities—genital, anal, and oral sex—or other close contact. Mere direct physical contact is sufficient to spread virus to others.
14 HPV types are considered high risk for cancers, including cancers of the cervix, anus, penis, vagina, vulva and back of the throat (oropharyngeal). If you’ve got one of these body parts, you’re at risk for HPV-associated cancers.
Which means HPV affects ALL PEOPLE. It’s the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the USA and in the world.
Almost every unvaccinated person who is sexually active will get HPV at some point in their life. About 13 million Americans, including teens, become infected with HPV every year.
HPVs cause:
99% of all cervical cancers
70% of all oropharyngeal cancers (mouth and throat) — the remaining 30% are primarily linked to tobacco use, smoking, and alcohol consumption.
90% of all anal cancers
85% of all vulvar and vaginal cancers
90% of all penile cancers
So, HPVs cause nearly all of 6 different cancer types. Imagine if there was a way to prevent those infections, which could prevent all of those cancers?
Spoiler: there IS. We have an extraordinarily effective vaccine that can prevent infection with the HPV types that cause the majority of HPV-associated cancers.
No infection? No chance of viral latency leading to the development of cancer in 10-20 years.
The current HPV vaccine protects against infection and subsequent cancers caused by 9 different HPVs—the ones that cause the majority of cancers. These are types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58.
HPV vaccination can prevent:
90% of cervical cancers (caused by HPV 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58)
90% of anal cancers (HPV 16 and 18 are predominant)
90% of HPV-associated oropharyngeal (mouth and throat) cancers, which is 63% of all oropharyngeal cancers (HPV 16 is the most common)
85% of vaginal cancers
90% of vulvar cancers
90% of penile cancers
Plus, 90% of genital warts (HPV 6 and 11 are covered)
HPV vaccinations reduce HPV infections AND prevent cancer.
Since the approval and deployment of the HPV vaccine (2006 in the US), the data have been striking.
In the US, infections with HPVs 16 and 18 (the biggest contributors to cervical cancer) have plummeted. Among girls aged 14–19, infection rates have dropped by 88%, and by 81% in women 20-24. In other countries, the trend is similar: HPV vaccinations have led to 90% reductions in infections within 8-10 years of implementing national vaccine recommendations.
Nearly 700,000 cases of cancer can be prevented every year with HPV vaccination.
It’s not just HPV infections that show how effective this vaccine is, it’s the longterm outcomes too.
HPV causes roughly 5% of all cancers worldwide. The HPV types covered by the vaccine account for roughly 90% of those cancers, meaning widespread vaccination could prevent nearly 620,000 cases of cancer every year.
We’ve got a lot of data to show this:
In Sweden, a study following 1.7 million women showed that getting vaccinated before age 17 reduced the risk of developing cervical cancer by 88% compared to not getting vaccinated.
In the UK, cervical cancer cases have plummeted by 87% among women, now in their 20s and 30s, who got vaccinated by age 13. The UK has the potential to eradicate cervical cancer due to its robust vaccination program.
Vaccination reduces the development of cervical precancerous lesions (CIN) too: there has been a documented 67% reduction in CIN across 14 different countries high-income countries among women 15-24 who are vaccinated.
Scotland has documented a 90% reduction in cervical precancerous lesions within 10 years of implementing a national vaccine program.
But it isn’t just cervical cancer, either.
HPV vaccination reduced the prevalence of oral HPV by 88% in young adults. Vaccination has been shown to reduce oropharyngeal cancers by 50% among those who are vaccinated.
However, because men (and parents of boys) don’t realize that they also need vaccination, and oropharyngeal cancer predominantly affects men, it’s due to surpass cervical cancer as the most common HPV-caused cancer. But widespread HPV vaccination could prevent 70% of oropharyngeal cancers, with better vaccine adoption.
Australia is expected to ERADICATE cervical cancer in the next 20 years because of their wildly successful vaccination program. They’ve also nearly eliminated genital warts among vaccinated people.
RFK Jr makes millions of dollars targeting HPV vaccines
So why isn’t every single person, RFK Jr included, shouting from the rooftops that this simple medication can pretty much eliminate a half dozen cancers from harming us?
The answer: money.
RFK Jr. has built a lucrative career undermining all science, particularly, vaccines. He claims he’s crusading against the “corruption” of Big Pharma, but the reality is, he makes money on anti-vaccine lawsuits, fundraising, advertising, and book sales targeting life-saving health interventions.
RFK Jr has specifically targeted HPV vaccines, falsely claiming that the HPV vaccine is linked to severe adverse effects like autoimmune disorders, infertility, and even cancer.
These claims are objectively false, but he uses them to fuel fear and outrage among parents, which help to serve as leverage for anti-vaccine lawsuits and fundraising for his anti-science organization, Children’s Health Defense (CHD).
He also profits off consulting services he provides to law firms, especially those who specialize in civil lawsuits targeting large companies (this is a very lucrative field that RFK Jr specializes in, see his history targeting agriculture companies).
In one year, RFK Jr was paid $856,559 by Wisner Baum, the law firm leading lawsuits against Merck (HPV vaccine manufacturer), for referral fees. In 2023, he was paid $1.6 million for consulting fees from the same law firm. He reported personal income of $7.8 million that year—which doesn’t include income funneled through CHD.
This is in addition to his direct weekly salary of over $20,000 from CHD, and the organization’s revenue of $23.5 million in a single year. CHD and RFK Jr are the BIGGEST sources of anti-vaccine rhetoric globally. And they make a lot of money from it.
CHD’s modus operandi is to file lawsuits and petitions against vaccine companies, food companies, and regulatory agencies. Then they stoke public outrage, get their wellness influencer buddies on board to amplify messaging (yes, that’s Food Babe, Mark Hyman, Will Cole, Calley and Casey Means, Dave Asprey, etc), which generates more attention and revenue through donations from vaccine-hesitant supporters.
If he is confirmed as HHS Secretary, he will continue to retain his financial stakes in these lawsuits too, while overseeing the FDA—who approved and monitors these vaccines. Imagine what he could do in that role to beef up their lawsuits for more money? If that isn’t a conflict of interest, I don’t know what is.
RFK Jr has directly caused reduced vaccination rates and preventable cancers.
RFK Jr likes to compare US health outcomes to other developed nations, to suggest our science and health agencies are trying to keep us sick.
Does he mention that he is the reason HPV vaccination rates in the US are lower than in other high-income countries? In the US, only 54% of teens are fully vaccinated by age 17, compared to 80–90% in Australia and the UK.
Even within the US, we can see disparities. For example, the nationwide rate of HPV-linked cancers in the US is 11.9 per 100,000, with a national average HPV vaccine rate of 61.4% (this percentage relates to kids 13-17 who have completed the vaccine series).
States with lower vaccination coverage have higher HPV-linked cancer incidence. Tennessee has an HPV-linked cancer rate of 17 cases per 100,000 with an HPV vaccine rate of 55%. Texas has an HPV-linked cancer rate of 12.4 cases per 100,000 with a vaccine rate of 58.7%.
Misinformation campaigns, like those led by Kennedy and CHD, directly contribute to lower vaccination rates and increased cancer risks. HPV vaccination rates are up to 25% lower in areas where vaccine disinformation is prevalent.
Over 500 million doses of HPV vaccines have been administered globally with no “long-term side effects”
Despite RFK Jr.’s fear-mongering, the HPV vaccine has an incredible safety profile.
Large-scale studies show no increased risk of any of the health effects RFK Jr’s claims: cancer, autoimmune disorders, infertility, or neurological issues (including autism, still not caused by vaccines). That’s why all global scientific and health agencies affirm the safety and immense benefit of the HPV vaccine.
Yet disinformation from RFK Jr and CHD continue to undermine this incredible medicine that can not only combat acute infectious diseases but also cancers.
Evidence matters, even in the face of lucrative and life- threatening grifting
RFK Jr. and his anti-vaccine empire do NOT care about health—that’s been demonstrated by his actions for forty years. He cares about creating fear for his own financial gain. Stop listening to his empty lies, and start looking at his actions.
The data are clear: HPV vaccination is one of the most effective cancer prevention tools available today. The danger isn’t the vaccine—it’s RFK Jr’s lies that prevent people from getting it.
If we want to preserve the health of our society, we need to combat anti-science rhetoric. And that starts with the biggest perpetrator of it: the current nominee for our Department of Health and Human Services.
Do not be fooled. RFK Jr. is a clear and present danger to humanity.
Now, more than ever, we all must join in the fight for science.
Thank you for supporting evidence-based science communication. With outbreaks of preventable diseases, refusal of evidence-based medical interventions, propagation of pseudoscience by prominent public “personalities”, it’s needed now more than ever.
More science education, less disinformation.
- Andrea
And if you’ve been following along my trip in India (I am still “on vacation”) — here is a dose of wildlife: A Gee’s Golden Langur—these are critically endangered and live only in a tiny region in northern Assam India and Bhutan in the Himalayan foothills. We were honored to be welcomed into a small village in Kakoijana where these primates make their home.
ImmunoLogic is written by Dr. Andrea Love, PhD - immunologist and microbiologist. She works full-time in life sciences biotech and has had a lifelong passion for closing the science literacy gap and combating pseudoscience and health misinformation as far back as her childhood. This newsletter and her science communication on her social media pages are born from that passion. Follow on Instagram, Threads, Twitter, and Facebook, or support the newsletter by subscribing below:
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In the first day of his hearings, RFK said he’d resigned from the CHD, but I’ve found no news source that can verify that. Since this is an administration that enshrines conflicts of interest, am I to assume he’s blowing smoke?