US President Donald Trump has attracted condemnation from health experts after he sought to claim there was a link between the widely used painkiller Tylenol and autism.
Accompanied by his Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, Trump said doctors would soon be advised not to recommend the drug - called paracetamol in some other countries, including the UK - to pregnant women.
The claims have been attacked by medical experts. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said the announcement was unsettling and not based on reliable data, while the UK's National Autism Society called Trump's statement dangerous, it's anti-science and it's irresponsible.
During the event, Trump listed a number of statistics which he said showed autism diagnoses in the US have risen rapidly over the past two decades. He claimed that incidence has increased from around one in 10,000... probably 18 years ago to one in 31 by 2025; the latter statistic is correct according to CDC data.
While the autism rate has indeed grown, it has not increased as dramatically as Trump suggested; in 2006, it was estimated to be one in 110 and in 2008 it was one in 88. Experts indicate that rising rates are largely due to changes in diagnosis and increased awareness.
Another claim made by Trump was around the effects of the mumps, measles, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, suggesting they should be taken separately rather than as a combined shot. This statement has raised concerns among experts who fear it could lead to a decline in vaccination rates and re-emergence of diseases.
The idea that childhood vaccines are linked to autism first gained popularity from a discredited paper by Andrew Wakefield in 1998, which has since been retracted. Numerous studies have since disproven any link between the MMR vaccine and autism.
Furthermore, Trump cited the Amish community as having “virtually no autism,” suggesting their low Tylenol usage contributed to this. However, limited studies show that autism does occur among the Amish, and many factors influence reported rates.
Trump's historical stance on autism has included a consistent expression of concern over rising diagnoses, suggesting links to vaccinations for nearly two decades.
