Candace Owens argues against vaccines, says HPV is ‘not contagious’

'You do realize HPV is contagious and causes cervical cancer, right? That's literally why there's a vaccine for it.'

Tiffanie Drayton

IRL

Published Nov 26, 2019 Updated Jan 27, 2021, 2:24 pm CST

Right-wing political pundit Candace Owens just added her voice to the anti-vaccine movement, tweeting out against the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and arguing that the infection is “not contagious.”

“I had a TERRIBLE reaction to the HPV shot when I was 16 yrs old & I cannot believe our government is trying to mandate it. Mandating vaccinations against diseases that are NOT contagious and therefore pose NO danger to the public is a dangerous precedent of government overreach,” Owens tweeted to her 1.8 million followers.

I had a TERRIBLE reaction to the HPV shot when I was 16 yrs old & I cannot believe our government is trying to mandate it.

Mandating vaccinations against diseases that are NOT contagious and therefore pose NO danger to the public is a dangerous precedent of government overreach. https://t.co/RXcBDrV4Pw

— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) November 25, 2019

The tweet was shared in response to a thread started by actor Rob Schneider.

“‘There is no evidence that the HPV vaccine has prevented even one case of cervical cancer anywhere in the world. ‘The problem is that the HPV vaccine may be causing very serious adverse reactions,'” Schneider wrote, quoting Dr. Sin Hang Lee, an HPV expert who testified in a hearing on mandating the vaccine.

“There is no evidence that the HPV vaccine has prevented even one case of cervical cancer anywhere in the world.
“The problem is that the HPV vaccine may be causing very serious adverse reactions.”
Dr. Lee https://t.co/o2Hjd2HZXV

— Rob Schneider (@RobSchneider) November 24, 2019

Many are rushing to correct Owens about her dangerous claim that HPV is not contagious.

“HPV is contagious you potato,” one Twitter user wrote.

HPV is contagious you potato.

— kelly ❄️❄️ (@kellywithayyy) November 25, 2019

HPV is, in fact, the most commonly transmitted STI and affects millions of Americans. It is spread through sexual contact, most commonly during vaginal or anal sex and can even be spread if an infected person has no apparent signs or symptoms. In some cases, the virus goes away on its own and there are no complications, but when HPV doesn’t clear itself up, it can lead to genital warts or even cancer.

“Um, you do realize HPV is contagious and causes cervical cancer, right? That’s literally why there’s a vaccine for it,” Twitter user @4everNeverTrump wrote.

Um, you do realize HPV is contagious and causes cervical cancer, right?

That's literally why there's a vaccine for it.

— Pé Resists (@4everNeverTrump) November 26, 2019

https://twitter.com/Adrien_de_Wiart/status/1199030510066061314

Owens has yet to retract her claim, but she did take a moment to proudly declare her support of Trump’s reelection bid.

In response to one Twitter user who asked her if she ever considered “being for something,” rather than against “a lot of things,” she wrote that she was for “Trump 2020.”

https://twitter.com/KylieJColt/status/1199038821528006657

Trump 2020.

— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) November 25, 2019

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*First Published: Nov 26, 2019, 5:36 pm CST

Tiffanie Drayton

Tiffanie Drayton is a geek culture and lifestyle reporter whose work covers everything from gender and race to anime and Xbox. Her work has appeared in Complex, Salon, Marie Claire, Playboy, and elsewhere.