Carly Fiorina recently said some unnamed vaccine-preventable diseases are not communicable and not contagious, and some immunizations are not necessary for school-age children. The fact is that every immunization recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention covers a highly communicable disease.

Fiorina, a former businesswoman, is running for the Republican presidential nomination. Though her campaign did not respond to repeated requests to clarify which diseases and vaccines she meant, Fiorina on two occasions suggested the vaccine for human papillomavirus, or HPV, should not be mandatory for children. However, the HPV virus is highly communicable through many forms of sexual contact, and the vaccine has been proven to prevent its transmission and thus help prevent cervical cancer as well.

Fiorina spoke at a town hall event in Alden, Iowa, and afterward addressed reporters. According to multiple media outlets, including Time magazine and CNN , she addressed the idea of parental choice with vaccinations:

Fiorina, Aug. 13: When you have highly communicable diseases where you have a vaccine thats proven, like measles or mumps, then I think a parent can make that choice, but then I think a school district is well within their rights to say, Im sorry, your child cannot then attend public school. .

I think when were talking about some of these more esoteric immunizations, then I think absolutely a parent should have a choice and a school district shouldnt be able to say, sorry, your kid cant come to school for a disease thats not communicable, thats not contagious, and where there really isnt any proof that theyre necessary at this point.

We sent multiple emails and left a voicemail with Fiorinas campaign asking for clarification on which vaccines are esoteric, which diseases are not communicable or contagious, and for which vaccines we do not have proof of their necessity. We did not get a response, and we will update this post if we do.

Regardless of her answers to those questions, however, her statement regarding contagious or communicable diseases is inaccurate. The CDCs recommended immunization schedule for children contains 14 vaccines (some versions only recommended for older children and certain high-risk groups), and every one of them includes coverage against diseases considered highly communicable. The only disease covered by recommended vaccines that is not passed from person to person is tetanus, and that is generally covered in a vaccine that also provides immunization against diphtheria and pertussis , two highly contagious infections.

On two occasions, Fiorina has suggested the HPV vaccine should not be mandatory for school-age children. During the town hall in Iowa, she told a story about her daughter being bullied into letting her own daughter receive the vaccine for HPV. Fiorina also mentioned this vaccine in an interview with Buzzfeed in January :

Fiorina, Jan. 24: I think theres a big difference between just in terms of the mountains of evidence we have a vaccination for measles and a vaccination when a girl is 10 or 11 or 12 for cervical cancer just in case shes sexually active at 11. So, I think its hard to make a blanket statement about it. I certainly can understand a mothers concerns about vaccinating a 10-year-old.

If her more recent comments are also in reference to HPV, Fiorina again has missed the mark. HPV is common and communicable, through sexual contact. The CDC says that [y]ou can get HPV by having vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone who has the virus, and the virus can be spread even when no signs or symptoms are present. According to the CDC, about 14 million Americans become infected with HPV there are about 40 types of the virus every year.