President Donald Trump declared during an announcement on Monday that taking Tylenol, the US equivalent of paracetamol,ย during pregnancy causes autism in babies, and former President Obama has hit out at him for โundermining public healthโ with his statement.
Namely, Trump claimed that โThere are certain groups of people that donโt take vaccines and donโt take any pills, that have no autism.
Turning to US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, Trump asked, โIs that a correct statement?โ
โIdeally, you donโt take it at all, but if you have to, if you canโt tough it out, if thereโs a problem, youโre going to end up doing it.โ
His statement comes despite the Worldย Healthย Organization stressing that there is โcurrently no conclusive scientific evidence confirming a possible link between autism and use of acetaminophen,โ the non-branded name for the drug sold as Tylenol.
WHO responded to Trumpโs announcement with a statement that read, โGlobally, nearly 62 million people (1 in 127) have autism spectrum disorder, a diverse group of conditions related to development of the brain. Although awareness and diagnosis have improved in recent years, the exact causes of autism have not been established, and it is understood there are multiple factors that can be involved.โ
โWe have the spectacle of my successor making broad claims around certain drugs and autism that have been continuously disproved,โ Obama said in front of a 14,000-strong audience in London.
โThe degree to which that undermines public health, the degree to which that can do harm to women who are pregnant, the degree to which that creates anxiety for parents who do have children who are autistic which, by the way, itself is subject to a spectrum and a lot of what is being trumpeted as these massive increases actually have to do with a broadening of criteria across that spectrum so that people can actually get services and helpโฆ
โAll of that is violence against the truth.โ
Tylenol representatives also issued a statement after Trumpโs comments on the medication, stating that it is โone of the most studied medications in history,โ adding that it is โsafe when used as directed by expecting mothers, infants and children.โ
The company further stated, โThe facts remain unchanged: over a decade of rigorous research, endorsed by leading medical professionals, confirm there is no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism.
โAcetaminophen is used worldwide as a first line of defense for pain relief and fever reduction, at the recommendation of independent public health and leading medical professionals and in accordance with the product label.
โHigh fevers and pain are widely recognized as potential risks to a pregnancy if left untreated, especially in the first trimester. Remember to talk to your doctor.
โWe prioritize science as the core of how we provide care, and that will never change.โ
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