Vaccines, Tylenol Do Not Cause Autism: WHO

Vaccines, Tylenol Do Not Cause Autism: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on Tuesday that neither acetaminophen (Tylenol) nor vaccines have been demonstrated to cause autism, contradicting recent statements from the US president and his administration.

On Monday, President Donald Trump urged pregnant women to "tough it out" and avoid using Tylenol, citing an unsubstantiated connection to autism. He also advocated for significant modifications to standard infant vaccination protocols.

Medical organizations have consistently identified acetaminophen/paracetamol—the active ingredient in Tylenol—as among the most secure pain relievers for use during pregnancy.

WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic acknowledged the existence of some "observational studies suggesting a possible association between prenatal exposure to acetaminophen or paracetamol and autism," but emphasized to reporters in Geneva that "the evidence remains inconsistent."

He noted that numerous studies conducted subsequent to these observational studies have "found no such relationship."

"If the link between acetaminophen and autism were strong, it would likely have been consistently observed across multiple studies," Jasarevic stated, cautioning against "drawing casual conclusions about the role of acetaminophen in autism."

During Monday's press conference, Trump also addressed vaccines in a rambling manner, repeating anti-vaccination movement claims. He cast doubt on standard vaccines including the MMR shot—which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella—and suggested he would eliminate the common use of aluminum in vaccines, despite its extensively studied safety profile.

Determining the origin of autism—a complex condition linked to brain development that many experts believe occurs primarily for genetic reasons—has been a particular focus of Trump's health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Kennedy has propagated claims for decades that vaccines cause autism.

Addressing concerns raised by the US president and his administration regarding childhood vaccines, Jasarevic stated definitively: "Vaccines do not cause autism."

"The childhood immunisation schedule, carefully guided by WHO, has been adopted by all countries and has saved at least 154 million lives over the past 50 years," he added.

"These schedules have continually evolved with science and now safeguard children, adolescents and adults against 30 infectious diseases," he explained.

However, he warned that "when immunisation schedules are delayed or disrupted, or altered without evidence review, there is a sharp increase in the risk of infection not only for the child but also for the wider community."

"Each missed dose increases the chances of contracting a life-threatening infectious disease."