WHO Counters Trump: No Evidence Tylenol or Vaccines Cause Autism

The World Health Organization has pushed back against claims by former US president Donald Trump that link Tylenol and childhood vaccines to autism, stressing that there is no scientific evidence to support such assertions. Trump, speaking on Monday, told pregnant women to “tough it out” instead of using Tylenol, citing an unproven connection to autism. He also called for major changes to routine vaccines given to infants.

WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic acknowledged that while some observational studies had suggested a possible link between prenatal acetaminophen use and autism, more comprehensive research has not confirmed the association. “The evidence remains inconsistent,” he said at a press briefing in Geneva, adding that if there were a strong connection, it would have been consistently observed across multiple studies. Jasarevic cautioned against drawing casual conclusions about acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, calling it one of the safest painkillers for use during pregnancy.

Trump also revived long-standing anti-vaccine talking points, questioning the safety of the MMR shot — which protects against measles, mumps and rubella — and criticizing the use of aluminum in vaccines, despite decades of research supporting their safety. His health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has spent years promoting discredited claims that vaccines cause autism.

The WHO, however, reaffirmed that vaccines are safe and essential to public health. “Vaccines do not cause autism,” Jasarevic said, highlighting that the global immunization schedule, shaped by WHO guidance, has saved at least 154 million lives over the past half century. The program currently protects children, adolescents, and adults against 30 infectious diseases.

Jasarevic warned that altering or delaying immunization schedules without evidence-based review could increase the risk of outbreaks. “Each missed dose increases the chances of contracting a life-threatening infectious disease,” he said, underscoring the importance of sticking to established vaccination programs.