Donald Trump doubles down on controversial health advice as US updates vaccine schedule
Topics: Donald Trump, Health
Phoebe Tonks
Featured Image Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, Health
Donald Trump has once again weighed in on the health of Americans as he dished out some unsolicited advice to pregnant women regarding their use of certain medications.
The US President, despite having no medical background, took to Truth Social to encourage pregnant women to avoid taking Tylenol, as well as limiting its use in young children. He also issued instructions regarding a revised vaccine schedule in line with changes announced by the Department of Health on Monday, which would drastically cut the number of shots recommended to children.
Writing in all capital letters, he wrote: “Pregnant Women, DON’T USE TYLENOL UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, DON’T GIVE TYLENOL TO YOUR YOUNG CHILD FOR VIRTUALLY ANY REASON, BREAK UP THE MMR SHOT INTO THREE TOTALLY SEPARATE SHOTS (NOT MIXED!), TAKE CHICKEN P SHOT SEPARATELY, TAKE HEPATITAS B SHOT AT 12 YEARS OLD, OR OLDER, AND, IMPORTANTLY, TAKE VACCINE IN 5 SEPARATE MEDICAL VISITS! President DJT.”
The controversial advice regarding Tylenol has proved to be increasingly polarising for parents in recent months and largely stems from claims that there could be a potential link between the common drug and ADHD and autism.
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According to the FDA: “Evidence in recent years has suggested a correlation between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and subsequent diagnosis of conditions like autism and ADHD. Multiple large-scale cohort studies, including the Nurses’ Health Study II and the Boston Birth Cohort, find this association”
However, while a correlation was detected, there is no evidence of causation, with the FDA continuing: “It is important to note that while an association between acetaminophen and neurological conditions has been described in many studies, a causal relationship has not been established and there are contrary studies in the scientific literature.
“It is also noted that acetaminophen is the only over-the-counter drug approved for use to treat fevers during pregnancy, and high fevers in pregnant women can pose a risk to their children.”
Major medical and regulatory bodies, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the UK's NHS and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), agree that there is no conclusive evidence that Tylenol (acetaminophen/paracetamol) is unsafe in pregnancy when used as directed.
It remains the recommended first-choice pain reliever and fever reducer during pregnancy.
Monday’s post is far from the first time that Trump has encouraged limiting Tylenol use, as he previously told the public to do the same back in September, a move which prompted serious alarm among many health experts.
Trump told America that the FDA is supposedly advising that pregnant women 'limit Tylenol use' and suggested that the drug is responsible for the 'meteoric rise' in cases of autism – something the medication brand has denied.
He alleged that there was once just one in 10,000 children with autism, but this figure has since risen drastically to one in 31 kids.
"There are certain groups of people that don’t take vaccines and don’t take any pills, that have no autism," the president further claimed.
While the FDA did still allow for Tylenol use as needed and encouraged parents to make their own informed decisions, Trump encouraged scrapping it altogether.
"Ideally, you don’t take it at all, but if you have to, if you can’t tough it out, if there’s a problem, you’re going to end up doing it," said the 79-year-old.
The Tylenol warning also came amid an announcement about a new revised vaccine schedule, that would see the US move more in line with Europe regarding routing dosing schedules for under 18s.
According to the CDC, the new recommendation for all children will include vaccines for: measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus (HPV), and varicella (chickenpox). The first three are routinely given as one vaccine.
A second category of vaccines was recommended for children depending on their individual risk factors. Those include vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), hepatitis A, hepatitis B, dengue, and meningococcal ACWY and meningococcal B - which protects against meningitis.
The third group of vaccines for Covid-19, influenza, and rotavirus has been left to parents and doctors to decide.