Published: August 2025 | Last updated: May 2026
If you have ever Googled "is there a herpes vaccine" or "when will HIV have a vaccine," you have already noticed something strange. We have shots for HPV and hepatitis B, two of the most consequential sexually transmitted infections on the planet. We do not have approved shots for herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, or HIV. The reasons span science, funding, and what people will or will not talk about out loud.
This is the honest 2026 picture: which STI vaccines actually exist and who should get them, which candidates are in clinical trials and how close they really are, what changed after the U.S. funding cuts in August 2025, and what you can do right now to protect your sexual health while researchers keep working.
Two STI vaccines exist in 2026, and that is the entire list
The two FDA-approved sexually transmitted infection vaccines on the U.S. routine schedule are Gardasil 9 (against nine strains of human papillomavirus) and the hepatitis B vaccine. Both are highly effective, recommended by the CDC, and routinely covered by insurance.
Gardasil 9 protects against the HPV strains responsible for roughly 90% of cervical cancers, and the same vaccine prevents most cases of anal, throat, vulvar, vaginal, and penile cancer caused by HPV. The CDC recommends routine vaccination at ages 11 to 12, with catch-up vaccination through age 26 for anyone who did not complete the series earlier (CDC HPV vaccine information). For adults aged 27 to 45, vaccination is recommended through shared clinical decision-making with a provider. The benefit is smaller for people who already had broader sexual exposure, but it is still real for many.
The hepatitis B vaccine has been part of the U.S. routine infant immunization schedule since 1991. The CDC now also recommends catch-up vaccination for all adults aged 19 to 59, plus older adults with risk factors, an expansion that took effect in 2022 (CDC hepatitis B vaccination guidance). Hepatitis B can be transmitted through sex, through shared needles, and from a parent to a baby at birth. Universal infant vaccination has driven new pediatric infections nearly to zero in the U.S.; the adult catch-up recommendation was meant to do the same for adult acquisition.
Both vaccines work because the underlying viruses cooperate, in a manner of speaking. HPV and hepatitis B both produce surface proteins the immune system can learn to recognize and respond to before infection takes hold. The vaccines train the body to produce neutralizing antibodies that bind to those surface proteins on the actual virus and stop it from infecting human cells. Decades of post-licensure data show this works durably.
That is the entire approved list. Every other sexually transmitted infection (herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, trichomoniasis) currently has no preventive vaccine on the U.S. market, though not for lack of trying.
Are there STI vaccines in 2026?
Yes, two: the HPV vaccine (Gardasil 9, recommended ages 9 to 26 routinely and 27 to 45 by shared clinical decision-making) and the hepatitis B vaccine (universal for infants since 1991, with catch-up recommended for all adults under 60). Vaccines for genital herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and HIV are in clinical trials, with several mRNA candidates from Moderna, BioNTech, and Sanofi in early-phase testing, but none have reached late-phase efficacy approval. The next licensed STI vaccine is several years away at minimum.
The herpes vaccine that keeps almost arriving
About 13% of people aged 15 to 49 worldwide carry HSV-2, the herpes virus most associated with genital infection, and around two-thirds of people under 50 carry HSV-1, which causes oral cold sores and a growing share of genital infections too (WHO Herpes Simplex Virus fact sheet). Most carriers do not know they have it. For some people the infection causes painful recurrent outbreaks; for others it is silent. Across both groups, herpes increases the risk of HIV acquisition, which is one reason an effective HSV-2 vaccine has been a global public health priority for decades.
A working herpes vaccine has been almost arriving for thirty years. The reason is biology. Once HSV infects you, it travels to nerve cell clusters near the spinal cord and sets up shop there for life. The immune system has trouble reaching virus that hides inside neurons, and traditional vaccines (which prime antibody responses against virus particles in the bloodstream) are poorly suited to the problem. Several past candidates from GSK, Genocea, and others showed strong antibody responses but failed to prevent infection or recurrent outbreaks in late-stage trials.
The current generation of candidates uses different bets. Moderna's mRNA-1608 is a three-component mRNA vaccine targeting key HSV-2 envelope proteins. It moved into Phase 1/2 testing in 2023, with Phase 2 readouts expected through late 2026. BioNTech's BNT163, also mRNA-based, entered Phase 1 testing in late 2022 with the first cohort focused on safety. Rational Vaccines is pursuing a live-attenuated approach with a candidate called Theravax, currently in early-phase international trials.
None of these have produced the breakthrough efficacy data that would lead to FDA approval, and clinical trial timelines mean even the most promising candidates are several years away from a licensure decision. A vaccine that prevents new HSV-2 infection entirely is one possible goal; a "therapeutic" vaccine that reduces outbreak frequency in people who already have herpes is the other. Several candidates target both at once.
If you have herpes or are worried about an exposure, the practical answer in 2026 is the same as it has been for several years. Antiviral medications (acyclovir, valacyclovir, famciclovir) reduce outbreak frequency and viral shedding. Condoms reduce transmission risk substantially though not completely, because herpes can spread from skin not covered by a condom. Antibody testing can confirm exposure when symptoms are unclear or absent.
Chlamydia: the trial that might actually finish
Chlamydia is the most commonly reported bacterial STI in the United States, with the CDC recording roughly 1.6 million cases per year, and the true number is likely much higher because most infections are asymptomatic. Untreated chlamydia in people with female reproductive anatomy can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, chronic pelvic pain, and infertility (NHS Chlamydia overview). It is curable with a short course of antibiotics. The problem is that you have to know you have it, and most people do not.
That asymptomatic spread is exactly why a vaccine matters. You cannot test, treat, and stop transmission for an infection nobody knows they have.
In March 2025, Sanofi received FDA Fast Track designation for an mRNA chlamydia vaccine candidate, and the Phase 1/2 trial enrolled its first participants later that year. Fast Track is the FDA's mechanism for accelerating review of treatments that address serious unmet medical needs. The designation structures ongoing dialogue between the developer and regulators throughout development. Approval itself depends on the underlying trial evidence. Earlier candidates (a Statens Serum Institut vaccine called CTH522 reached Phase 1 readouts in 2019) showed acceptable safety and immune responses, supporting the idea that a chlamydia vaccine is biologically possible.
The 2026 status of Sanofi's program: the trial is ongoing, with primary safety and immunogenicity data expected over the next 18 to 24 months. Even on an accelerated timeline, a Phase 3 efficacy trial and licensure decision would not arrive before 2029 or 2030.
In the meantime, the CDC recommends annual chlamydia screening for all sexually active women under 25 and for older women with new or multiple partners. Screening is also recommended for sexually active gay and bisexual men. At-home swab tests have made this dramatically easier than the in-clinic visits of a decade ago, and they remove most of the awkwardness people cite as a reason they skip annual testing.
This article is published by stdrapidtestkits.com, which sells at-home STI testing kits. We recommend products based on fit for the reader's concern, not commercial benefit. The swab kit below is one of those products; it does not replace clinical testing or treatment.
Why HIV vaccines keep failing
After more than 40 years of HIV research, there is still no approved HIV vaccine, and not for lack of trying. More than a dozen Phase 2 or Phase 3 efficacy trials have launched over the past three decades, and none have produced a candidate good enough for licensure.
The most recent failures were public and disappointing. HVTN 702, a trial of a modified version of the only candidate that had ever shown partial efficacy, was halted in February 2020 after an interim analysis found no protection. Mosaico (HVTN 706), a Janssen-led trial of a mosaic vaccine in men who have sex with men, was discontinued in January 2023 after similar futility findings. Both trials enrolled thousands of participants and ran for years.
The biological problem is that HIV is harder than other vaccine targets in almost every way that matters. The virus mutates rapidly, so a vaccine that targets one strain may not protect against the strain you encounter. It hides inside the very immune cells (CD4 T-cells, the white blood cells that coordinate the body's response to infection) that vaccines normally try to mobilize. And it integrates its genetic material into the host genome within days of infection, which closes the window the immune system has to clear the virus.
The current generation of candidates uses approaches that are genuinely different. Moderna's HIV mRNA candidate, developed in collaboration with IAVI, teaches the body to recognize specific HIV envelope proteins and entered Phase 1 testing in 2022. The "germline targeting" approach (a technique that nudges the immune system, step by step, toward producing very rare, broadly neutralizing antibodies before any exposure) pioneered by researchers at Scripps and IAVI tries to coax the body into making those antibodies through a stepwise series of immunogens (molecules engineered to trigger a specific immune response). Early Phase 1 data from this approach (published in 2022 and updated in 2024) showed the immune system can be guided in this direction. Turning that signal into protective efficacy is the next hard problem.
For now, the most effective HIV prevention tool the field has produced is pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Daily oral PrEP (tenofovir-based regimens) and the long-acting injectable cabotegravir substantially reduce HIV acquisition risk when taken as prescribed; the CDC describes PrEP as one of the most effective HIV prevention tools available. PrEP works by suppressing the virus before it can establish infection in the body, a different mechanism from a vaccine that primes the immune system in advance. It remains the most effective HIV prevention option available outside of barrier methods, and it is widely accessible through primary care and telehealth in the U.S.
The 2025 funding cuts and what they mean now
In August 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services cancelled approximately $500 million in federal contracts related to mRNA vaccine development, citing a desire to "reevaluate emerging technologies." The cuts affected several programs working on infectious disease and oncology vaccines, including some of the early-phase work relevant to HIV and herpes vaccine candidates.
In the nine months since, the practical impact has been mixed. Privately funded mRNA work at Moderna and BioNTech continued without a pause; their HIV and herpes candidates remain in trial. Programs that were academic or NIH-funded faced harder choices, and some early-phase work moved to international funding sources (the Wellcome Trust, the European Investment Bank, IAVI's bilateral funding from Norway and the Netherlands) or simply slowed down.
Vaccine development is a long-horizon endeavor. Pulling money out of a multi-year program in year three sets the timeline back by months or years. The underlying science survives only when replacement funding arrives before key staff leave or trial sites stand down.
Already-licensed vaccines were not affected. HPV, hepatitis B, COVID, flu, measles, and other approved vaccines remain on the U.S. recommended schedule, and CDC immunization recommendations have not changed in response to the contract cancellations.
mRNA is one of several STI vaccine platforms in development. Live-attenuated, subunit, and viral vector candidates continue to move through the pipeline at GSK, Sanofi, Moderna, and several smaller biotechs, alongside the mRNA programs covered in this article.
Why HPV got a vaccine and herpes did not
HPV and herpes are both common, both transmitted sexually, and both lifelong infections that the immune system cannot fully clear. So why does one have a vaccine and the other does not?
Three reasons matter. The first is biological. HPV infects skin and mucous membranes from the outside in, which gives the immune system a clear shot at neutralizing the virus before it integrates. Herpes integrates into nerve cells almost immediately, in a sanctuary the immune system cannot easily reach. Vaccines that work for HPV do not translate to herpes by changing a few ingredients.
The second is the cancer connection. HPV causes more than 90% of cervical cancer, and significant fractions of anal, throat, vulvar, vaginal, and penile cancer. Once the link to cancer was established in the 1990s, HPV moved from being a "sex disease" to a cancer-prevention priority, and funding, public health campaigns, and insurance coverage all followed.
The third is reframing. HPV's public health reframing as a cancer issue made it possible for parents, schools, and pediatricians to talk about it without invoking sex at all. "This vaccine prevents cancer" is a different conversation than "this vaccine prevents an STI." Herpes never got that reframing. Most people still treat it as a cosmetic problem or a personal failing rather than a chronic viral infection that increases HIV risk and causes serious neonatal complications.
Reframing herpes the way HPV was reframed (as a reproductive health issue, as a contributor to HIV burden, as a chronic disease worth preventing) is part of what would unlock the urgency that drives funding and trial enrollment.
| Factor | HPV | HSV-2 |
|---|---|---|
| Biological accessibility | Infects skin and mucous membranes from the outside in, giving the immune system a clear neutralization window before viral integration. | Travels to nerve cell clusters within days and hides there for life, in tissue the immune system cannot easily reach. |
| Cancer-link funding driver | Causes more than 90% of cervical cancer plus significant fractions of anal, throat, and other cancers, anchoring funding to cancer-prevention budgets. | Does not cause cancer; usually does not kill. Funding has to compete on its own merits and has historically lost. |
| Public reframing success | Reframed in the 1990s as a cancer-prevention vaccine, allowing parents, schools, and pediatricians to discuss it without invoking sex. | Still framed as a cosmetic or personal-failing condition rather than a chronic viral infection that raises HIV risk and causes neonatal complications. |
What gonorrhea, syphilis, and Mpox tell us about the bigger picture
Three other developments are worth knowing about because they shape what an STI vaccine future could look like.
Gonorrhea is the most concerning antibiotic-resistance story in the STI world. Resistance has now been documented to every drug class previously used to treat the infection, and the first-line regimen is down to a single class. A 4CMenB meningococcal vaccine (originally developed against meningitis) shows partial cross-protection against gonorrhea, somewhere in the 30 to 40% range in observational studies (CDC gonorrhea information). The CDC now recommends 4CMenB for some adults at higher gonorrhea risk, though it is not yet a routine recommendation. Dedicated gonorrhea vaccine candidates are in Phase 1 and 2 testing.
Syphilis is seeing a steep U.S. resurgence, especially congenital syphilis, where babies are infected during pregnancy. There is no syphilis vaccine in the development pipeline. The reasons are layered: syphilis was thought to be on the way out for several decades, the bacterium is hard to grow in the lab in ways that have impeded research, and funding has gone to candidates with broader market potential. Penicillin still works against syphilis, and screening during pregnancy is the main public health response.
Mpox spreads through several routes, and the 2022 outbreak spread predominantly through sexual networks, especially among men who have sex with men. The Jynneos vaccine (approved for smallpox and Mpox) provides effective post-exposure protection and is now part of the CDC's recommendations for people at higher Mpox exposure risk. Jynneos worked because regulators, public health agencies, and the affected community moved together quickly, with an existing licensed product to deploy.
| Infection | Vaccine status (2026) | Key 2026 note |
|---|---|---|
| Gonorrhea | No dedicated approved vaccine; 4CMenB shows partial cross-protection. | CDC recommends 4CMenB for some higher-risk adults; antibiotic resistance is narrowing first-line options. |
| Syphilis | No candidate in active development. | Steep U.S. resurgence, especially congenital syphilis; penicillin and pregnancy screening remain the response. |
| Mpox | Jynneos approved for smallpox and Mpox; effective post-exposure. | CDC recommends Jynneos for higher-exposure-risk groups, including sexual networks where 2022 spread occurred. |
What you can do right now while the science catches up
If you are reading this hoping a herpes or HIV vaccine is around the corner, the honest answer is that approval is several years away even if everything goes well. That does not leave you without options.
Start with the vaccines that already exist. If you have not had the HPV vaccine series and you are 26 or younger, there is no reason to wait. If you are 27 to 45, talk to a clinician about whether it makes sense for you. If you are not sure of your hepatitis B vaccination status, the CDC now recommends catch-up vaccination for all adults under 60. Both vaccines are widely covered by insurance and available at pharmacies.
Use PrEP if you are at higher HIV risk. The daily oral pill or the every-two-month cabotegravir injection sharply reduce the chance of acquiring HIV from sex or injection drug use when taken as prescribed. PrEP is available through primary care providers, sexual health clinics, and telehealth services; it is covered by most insurance plans and by a federal payment assistance program for people without insurance.
Test on a regular cadence, even when you do not have symptoms. The CDC recommends annual chlamydia and gonorrhea screening for all sexually active women under 25 and for higher-risk groups at any age, plus annual HIV and syphilis screening for sexually active gay and bisexual men. At-home rapid tests have made this dramatically easier than the in-clinic visits people used to skip. You do not need symptoms to justify testing.
Use barriers consistently. Condoms reduce HIV transmission risk by roughly 80% when used every time (CDC HIV prevention information), and reduce gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis transmission substantially as well. They reduce herpes and HPV transmission too, though less completely because both can affect skin not covered by a condom.
The honest conversation about stigma
Even a perfect vaccine would not fix stigma. We have a perfect HPV vaccine. Uptake in the U.S. has plateaued in the high 50s to low 60s for completion of the series (CDC HPV vaccination coverage), well short of the 80%-plus coverage public health agencies set as a goal, partly because parts of the country still treat the conversation as too uncomfortable to have.
The same dynamic shapes who tests, who discloses to partners, and who feels safe seeking care. STI stigma falls hardest on people who already have the least access to healthcare: queer people, low-income people, people of color, and people whose sexual lives do not fit a narrow norm. A vaccine helps those people only if they can also access it without judgment, and only if the cultural conversation around STIs treats them as health issues rather than moral ones.
The good news is that the conversation is moving. Public figures are disclosing diagnoses. Sex education curricula are getting better in some places, even as they go backwards in others. At-home testing has removed the waiting room and the three-day result delay, two structural barriers that previously kept many people from screening at all.
An estimated 520 million people aged 15 to 49 worldwide have herpes simplex virus type 2 infection.
FAQs
- Is there a herpes vaccine in 2026?
- No approved herpes vaccine exists in 2026. The most advanced candidates, Moderna's mRNA-1608 (Phase 1/2 readouts expected in late 2026) and BioNTech's BNT163 (Phase 1), are pursuing two goals at once: prophylactic protection (preventing new infection) and therapeutic benefit (reducing outbreak frequency in people already infected). Even on optimistic timelines, a licensure decision is unlikely before 2029, and prior late-stage candidates have failed at this same hurdle. Antiviral medications and barrier methods remain the practical answer in the meantime.
- When will a chlamydia vaccine be available?
- Sanofi's mRNA chlamydia vaccine received FDA Fast Track designation in March 2025 and is currently in Phase 1/2 testing. Even on an accelerated timeline, a Phase 3 efficacy trial and licensure decision would not arrive before 2029 or 2030. Until then, annual screening with antibiotic treatment is the public health backstop.
- How effective is the HPV vaccine?
- Gardasil 9 prevents the HPV strains responsible for roughly 90% of cervical cancers and most anal, throat, vulvar, vaginal, and penile cancers caused by HPV. Real-world data from countries with high vaccination uptake show steep declines in cervical pre-cancer and cancer rates among vaccinated cohorts. The vaccine works best when given before sexual exposure, which is why the CDC recommends routine vaccination at ages 11 to 12.
- If I am over 26, is the HPV vaccine still worth it?
- It can be. The CDC recommends shared clinical decision-making for adults aged 27 to 45. The benefit is smaller than for younger people because most adults have already had some HPV exposure, but Gardasil 9 protects against nine HPV types, and the chance you have already been exposed to all nine is low. Talk to a clinician about your specific situation and prior exposure history.
- What is PrEP and how do I get it?
- PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is an antiviral medication taken to prevent HIV infection. The daily oral form (tenofovir-based) and the every-two-month injection (cabotegravir) both substantially reduce HIV acquisition risk when taken as prescribed, and the CDC describes PrEP as one of the most effective HIV prevention tools available. PrEP is available through primary care providers, sexual health clinics, and many telehealth services, and is covered by most insurance plans, Medicaid, and a federal payment assistance program for people without insurance.
- Is there a vaccine that protects against gonorrhea?
- There is no approved gonorrhea-specific vaccine, but the 4CMenB meningococcal vaccine shows partial cross-protection against gonorrhea, somewhere in the 30 to 40% range in observational studies. The CDC now recommends 4CMenB for some adults at higher gonorrhea risk. Dedicated gonorrhea vaccine candidates are in Phase 1 and 2 testing.
- Why don't we have an HIV vaccine yet?
- HIV is harder than other vaccine targets in almost every way that matters. It mutates rapidly, hides inside the immune cells vaccines normally try to mobilize, and integrates its genetic material into the host genome within days. More than a dozen Phase 2 or Phase 3 efficacy trials have launched over three decades, and none have produced a candidate good enough for licensure. Newer mRNA and germline-targeting approaches are in early trials but several years from any licensure decision.
- Should I get tested if I do not have symptoms?
- Yes. Most STIs are asymptomatic for long periods, especially chlamydia, gonorrhea, HPV, and HSV-2. The CDC recommends annual chlamydia and gonorrhea screening for all sexually active women under 25 and for higher-risk groups at any age, plus annual HIV and syphilis screening for sexually active gay and bisexual men. At-home rapid tests have made regular screening dramatically more accessible. You do not need a reason or a symptom to justify testing.
- World Health Organization. Herpes simplex virus fact sheet, including global HSV-1 and HSV-2 prevalence figures cited in this article.
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HPV vaccine information, including age-based recommendations, shared clinical decision-making for adults 27 to 45, and U.S. vaccination coverage data.
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hepatitis B vaccination recommendations, including the universal infant schedule and the adult catch-up recommendation through age 59.
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HIV information hub, including PrEP overview, condom effectiveness for HIV prevention, and screening guidance referenced throughout this article.
- NHS. Chlamydia symptoms, complications including pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility, and treatment with antibiotics.
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chlamydia information and U.S. surveillance data, including case-count figures cited in this article.
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Gonorrhea information, including 4CMenB meningococcal vaccine cross-protection and antibiotic resistance context.
