The World Health Organization (WHO) has firmly stated that neither the painkiller Tylenol nor vaccines are linked to autism, countering recent comments made by President Donald Trump.
During a press conference on Monday, Trump suggested that pregnant women should avoid Tylenol due to an unproven connection to autism and called for significant changes to the standard vaccination schedule for infants.
Medical experts have long regarded acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, as one of the safest pain relief options during pregnancy. WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic acknowledged that some observational studies hinted at a potential association between prenatal exposure to acetaminophen and autism. However, he emphasized that the evidence is inconsistent.
“If the link between acetaminophen and autism were strong, it would likely have been consistently observed across multiple studies,” Jasarevic stated, cautioning against drawing hasty conclusions about the role of acetaminophen in autism.
Trump also raised concerns about vaccines during his press conference, echoing sentiments from the anti-vaccine movement. He expressed doubts regarding the safety of standard vaccines, including the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella, and suggested eliminating aluminum from vaccines, despite extensive research supporting their safety.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s health secretary, has long promoted the unfounded belief that vaccines cause autism. In response to the fears propagated by the Trump administration regarding childhood vaccinations, Jasarevic reiterated, “Vaccines do not cause autism.”
He highlighted that the WHO’s childhood immunization schedule has been adopted globally and has saved at least 154 million lives over the past five decades. “These schedules have continually evolved with science and now protect children, adolescents, and adults against 30 infectious diseases,” he added.
Jasarevic warned that any delays or alterations to immunization schedules without proper evidence could significantly increase the risk of infections for both children and the broader community. “Each missed dose raises the chances of contracting a life-threatening infectious disease,” he concluded.
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