WHO dismissed Trump’s claim that paracetamol in pregnancy causes autism and warned that misinformation is fueling dangerous drops in vaccination rates worldwide.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has dismissed recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump suggesting that paracetamol use in pregnancy could cause autism.
WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said on Tuesday that while some observational studies had raised questions, the evidence overall was inconsistent. “If there were a strong connection, it would have been seen consistently across multiple studies,” he explained. He added that medicines should always be used with caution and medical supervision, especially during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Mr Jasarevic also rejected claims that routine childhood vaccines cause autism, stressing that WHO’s immunisation schedules are built on decades of evidence and have saved more than 150 million lives in 50 years.
Kate O’Brien, director of WHO’s Department of Immunisation, warned that misinformation threatens future vaccination progress. “Both misinformation and disinformation travel faster and further than truth,” she said, adding that vaccines remain one of the most cost-effective public health tools, saving more than five lives every minute.
She noted that dropping vaccination rates, particularly for measles, are driving new outbreaks even in wealthy countries, threatening decades of progress against preventable diseases.