WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump used the presidency platform to promote it on Monday Unproven, and sometimes unreliable relationships When his administration announced a wide range of efforts to study the causes of Tylenol, vaccines and autism, Complex brain disorders.
“Don’t take Tylenol,” Trump instructed pregnant women dozens of times during an awkward White House press conference, urging infants not to give to young children the drug known for the generic name acetaminophen. He also promoted the claim that vaccine or timing shot ingredients could contribute to an increase in autism in the United States without providing medical evidence.
The rambling presentation appears to rely on existing research rather than largely new research, as American healthy exercise has sought answers about the causes of autism. A diverse union of supporters of Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. It includes several anti-vaccine activists who have long spread and have been exposed claims that vaccinations are responsible.
The announcement also highlights Trump’s longstanding appeal to autism and his anxiety over his childhood vaccine schedule, despite the president’s pride in him. Work to spread Covid-19 vaccines During his first term.
Health experts said Trump’s comments were irresponsible. Art Kaplan, a bioethicist at New York University, said it was “the saddest exhibit of lack of evidence, rumours, recycling old myths, poor advice, complete lies and the dangerous advice I have ever witnessed to an authoritative person.”
AP Audio: Trump promotes unproven relationships between Tylenol, vaccines and autism without new evidence
In his remarks, President Trump says that using Tylenol during pregnancy could cause autism.
Trump has announced that the Food and Drug Administration will begin notifying doctors that the Food and Drug Administration could increase the risk of autism, but did not immediately provide justification for the new recommendation.
Evidence of a potential link between Tylenol and autism is inconclusive
There are several studies that may suggest that taking acetaminophen during pregnancy can increase your risk of autism, according to David Mandel, an autism expert at the University of Pennsylvania.
One of the challenges is the difficulty in resolving the effects of Tylenol use from the effects of high fever during pregnancy. Fever, especially early pregnancy, can increase the risk of miscarriage, premature birth and other problems, according to the Maternal Fetal Medicine Association.
Trump also urged young children not to give Tylenol, but scientists say the research shows that autism develops in the fetal brain.
In response to Trump’s warning, the Maternal and Fetal Medicine Association said it still recommends Tylenol as a suitable option to treat fever and pain during pregnancy. The U.S. obstetrician and gynecologist president said Monday that the suggestion that Tylenol use in pregnancy causes autism is “irresponsible considering the harmful and confusing messages sent to pregnant patients.”
Trump’s press chief Caroline Levitt said in a statement Monday evening that the administration “doesn’t believe that more pills are always the answer for better health,” and that “these efforts will not stop you, knowing that millions of people across America are grateful.”
Tylenol maker Kambue on Monday challenged the link between drugs and autism, saying that if pregnant mothers do not use Tylenol when they are in need, they could suffer from fever or face a dangerous choice to use a high-risk painkiller alternative. Shares in Kenvue Inc. fell 7.5% in Monday’s trading, lowering the company’s market value by about $2.6 billion.
At a press conference, Kennedy announced that Trump’s urging it was launching a new all-institutional effort to uncover all the factors that could contribute to autism. Scientists have been researching for decades.
The Trump Administration explores the potential role of folic acid
FDA commissioner Dr. Marty McCurry took the stage to announce the initial step to approve a folate metabolite called leucovorin as a treatment option for patients who are thought to have low folate levels in the brain. That may include some people with autism.
Leucovorin is used to combat the side effects of a variety of prescription drugs, including chemotherapy and other high-dose drugs that can adversely affect the immune system. It works by increasing folic acid levels, a form of vitamin B, which is important for the production of healthy red blood cells.
Women are already told to take folic acid before conception and during pregnancy. This is because it reduces the chances of a specific birth defect known as a neural tube defect.
In recent years, when high doses of folic acid have been used to treat children with autism, and when China and other countries report improvements in social skills and other indicators, a small number of studies have suggested positive results. These small studies have quickly been accepted online by several parts of the autism community.
The theory is that some children, not autistic children, may not metabolize folic acid properly, Mandel said. However, recent research is “really small,” he said. To prove effectiveness, “Independent, large, rigorously controlled, randomized trials are required.”
Decades of research have shown that there is no link between vaccines and autism
At a press conference, Trump claimed that he believes in the vaccine, but there is no evidence that vaccination at the recommended age is linked to autism. Outputting the shot as he suggests could increase the risk of the child becoming infected with a vaccine-preventable disease before returning to another visit.
Anti-vaccine activists, including Kennedy, have long proposed a link between vaccines and autism, but extensive scientific consensus and decades of research have firmly concluded that it is not.
Autism is not a disease, but a complex developmental state that affects different people in many ways. It can include delays in language, learning, or social and emotional skills. For some people, deep autism means being nonverbal and having an intellectual disability, but the majority of people with autism experience far more milder effects.
Disability affects 1 in 31 US child Today, according to the CDC, it has risen sharply for just a few years. Experts say the increase is primarily due to a new definition of disorder, including “spectrum” and mild cases of better diagnosis. They say there is no single cause for disorders, and rhetoric appears to undermine decades of science, ignoring and undermining genetic and environmental factors that can play a role.
The announcement is the latest step taken by the administration, driven by Kennedy and his supporters, to reshape the public health situation in America.
Beyond Federal health agencies cut backThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Swayed by differences of opinion Regarding Kennedy’s vaccine policy. An influential vaccination panel in which Kennedy stocks people critical of the vaccine last week Shot guidance has been changed In the case of Covid-19 and other illnesses.
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Swenson reported from New York. Associated Press authors Matthew Pelone and Laura Unger contributed to this report.
