The World Health Organization (WHO) is pushing back against contested claims by the Trump administration that acetaminophen use during pregnancy heightens the risk of autism, further underscoring that no scientific consensus supports such a connection.
“Extensive research, including large-scale studies over the past decade, has found no consistent association,” the agency said in a Wednesday statement.
“[The] WHO recommends that all women continue to follow advice of their doctors or health workers, who can help assess individual circumstances and recommend necessary medicines.”
The concern had escalated earlier in the week when Donald Trump, alongside senior health officials including Robert F Kennedy Jr, issued a warning about acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, alleging it contributes to rising autism rates. The announcement also included plans for a new study examining potential links between childhood vaccines and autism.
“Taking Tylenol is not good … all pregnant women should talk to their doctors about limiting the use of this medication while pregnant,” Trump said on Monday.
WHO stressed that all medications should be used with caution during pregnancy, especially in the early stages, but pointed out that previous studies raising alarms about acetaminophen were flawed and have since been discredited.
The organization also reaffirmed its stance on vaccines and said that “large, high-quality studies from many countries have all reached the same conclusion” – that vaccines do not cause autism. It emphasized that over the past five decades, global immunization efforts guided by the agency have prevented at least 154 million deaths.
The vaccine schedule “remains essential for the health and wellbeing of every child and every community”, it said.
Source: The Guardian, 24 September 2025
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