<
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/sep/23/global-health-agencies-dismiss-false-trump-claim-everyday-painkillers>
"Global health agencies and regulators have dismissed unscientific advice from
Donald Trump that made an unproven link between autism and the use of everyday
painkillers and vaccines.
In a sign of how worried foreign governments are about the US president’s
comments, the health secretary of the UK, which is one the US’s closest allies,
told the British public they should not “pay any attention whatsoever to what
Donald Trump says about medicine”.
On Monday, Trump told pregnant women to avoid taking acetaminophen, which is
sold in the US as Tylenol and known internationally as paracetamol, adding that
those who could not “tough it out” should limit their intake.
He also said, in comments that risk exposing children to fatal diseases, that
parents of young children should delay or avoid some vaccines. “Don’t let them
pump your baby up with the largest pile of stuff you’ve ever seen in your
life,” he said.
The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that questioning the value of
lifesaving vaccines was misguided and that evidence linking paracetamol use
in pregnancy and autism was “inconsistent”.
“We know that vaccines do not cause autism,” said the WHO spokesperson Tarik
Jašarević. “Vaccines, as I said, save countless lives. So this is something
that science has proven, and these things should not be really questioned.”
Wes Streeting, the UK health secretary, was even more direct in his criticism,
telling
ITV: “I trust doctors over President Trump, frankly, on this. I’ve
just got to be really clear about this: there is no evidence to link the use of
paracetamol by pregnant women to autism in their children. None.
“So I would just say to people watching: don’t pay any attention whatsoever to
what Donald Trump says about medicine. In fact, don’t take even take my word
for it, as a politician – listen to British doctors, British scientists, the
[National Health Service].”
Hours after Trump made his comments, the MHRA, the UK’s healthcare regulator,
released a statement saying there was no evidence linking paracetamol use
during pregnancy with autism.
Dr Alison Cave, chief safety officer at the agency, warned that “untreated pain
and fever can pose risks to the unborn baby” and it was important to manage
these symptoms with recommended treatments."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
