The spokesman of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tarik Jasharevych emphasized that scientific data clearly show that vaccines do not cause autism, but save millions of lives. The spokesman’s words came in response to Donald Trump’s claims about the link between vaccines and autism, reports Reuters.
During a briefing in Geneva, Jašarevych stressed that the evidence for a possible link between taking paracetamol during pregnancy and autism remains controversial:
“The evidence remains conflicting. We know that vaccines do not cause autism. Vaccines save countless lives. This is proven by science, and these things should not be questioned”.
Recall that on September 22, US President Donald Trump linked autism to vaccinations in childhood and taking paracetamol during pregnancy, bringing these claims to the forefront of US health care policy, despite the lack of scientific evidence.
Trump made the announcement in the Oval Office alongside Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has opposed vaccinations against measles, polio, bird flu and COVID-19. He assured that there is no safe and effective vaccine and that they can cause autism.
According to Trump, women are advised to “limit the use of paracetamol during pregnancy unless medically necessary,” such as in case of fever. At the same time, experts note that autism has a multifactorial origin, and scientific data on the effects of paracetamol during pregnancy remain contradictory.
Paracetamol has so far been considered the only safe over-the-counter pain reliever and fever reliever for pregnant women. Other common medications, such as ibuprofen or aspirin in regular doses, can increase the risk of complications, while untreated fever also poses a risk to mother and fetus.
