US President Donald Trump on Monday night promoted debunked theories linking autism to the use of paracetamol as well as vaccinations.
Scientists hit back at the president’s claim, and experts said there is a “strong evidence base” that the painkiller paracetamol is safe to use while pregnant.
The UK’s Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, urged people to “listen to British doctors, British scientists, the NHS, not Donald Trump.
What did the President say and how does science prove him wrong?
What did Trump say about paracetamol and why do scientists say he is wrong?
The US president said there had been a “meteoric rise” in cases of autism and suggested that Tylenol – which is called paracetamol in the UK – is a potential cause.
During his press conference, Trump said that the Food and Drug Administration will be notifying doctors that the use of acetaminophen “can be associated” with an increased risk of autism.
He also said that mothers should not give their infants the drug, even though medical experts have said that research indicates autism develops in the foetal brain. Experts say the rise in autism cases is likely due to better diagnoses and that there is no single cause for it.
Trump’s claims are raising concerns amongst medical professionals.
Speaking to ITV News, General Practitioner and Chair of the Royal College of GPs Kamila Hawthorne said she encourages pregnant women “not to be afraid” of taking paracetamol if they need it.
“Paracetamol seems to be perfectly safe to be taken in low doses by pregnant mums if they need it.
“So if you’ve got a temperature, if you’ve got flu, or you’ve got a pain somewhere, taking a couple of paracetamol is perfectly safe to do so.
“The majority of evidence says that it is safe in pregnancy as long as it’s taken responsibly.”
The NHS website says, “paracetamol is the first choice of painkiller if you’re pregnant”, and says it is “commonly taken during pregnancy and does not harm your baby”.
In a statement, Kenvue, the consumer health company behind Tylenol, said they “strongly disagree” that acetaminophen causes autism, adding they are “deeply concerned about the health risks and confusion this poses for expecting mothers and parents.”
Vaccinations
The president also raised unfounded concerns about vaccines and their link to autism.
Trump said he is a believer in vaccinations; however, he fuelled long-debunked claims that ingredients in vaccinations, as well as timing them close together, contributed to the rising rates of autism in America.
“The MMR, I think, should be taken separately. This is based on what I feel. “The mumps, measles, and the three should be taken separately.
“And it seems to be that when you mix them, there could be a problem. So there’s no downside in taking them separately.”
Trump failed to provide any evidence on this.
He also encouraged parents to delay giving their babies the Hepatitis B vaccination because the disease is “sexually transmitted.”
“I would say, wait till the baby is 12 years old and formed, and take hepatitis B.
Hawthorne described Trump’s comments regarding vaccinations as “very worrying.”
“Having been a GP for 37 years now, I have seen what it’s like to see children with measles, with mumps, with German measles, which is rubella, and they’re very unpleasant illnesses that occasionally cause deaths
“In the last 10 to 15, 20 years, I haven’t seen any cases at all, and that’s because of the safety of the MMR vaccine, and its use as part of the childhood programme.
“I would urge parents, certainly in the UK, to use their common sense and to bring their children for vaccination.
“My children have been fully vaccinated.”
Prof Jonathan Ball, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine; and Professor of Molecular Virology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), said the MMR vaccine had “without doubt saved lives and prevented serious disease, including life-changing disease in vulnerable newborns and infants”.
“Vaccine hesitancy is a massive problem and mandating the giving of separate doses of each vaccine component will complicate immunisation schedules, increase inconvenience – known to be a big driver in non-uptake – and therefore drive down protection.”
The UK Health Secretary told people to follow the advice of medical professionals, not Donald Trump
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