President Donald Trump doubled down on his scientifically dubious claims about Tylenol, vaccines and autism in a new social media post.
The president and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared Monday that using Tylenol during pregnancy could be linked to an increased risk of autism in children, which experts say contradicts existing scientific research, but Trump extended his warning, emphasized in all-capital letters, to include young children.
"Pregnant Women, DON’T USE TYLENOL UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, DON’T GIVE TYLENOL TO YOUR YOUNG CHILD FOR VIRTUALLY ANY REASON," Trump posted Friday morning on Truth Social.
Tylenol and its active ingredient acetaminophen are considered safe for children as young as 12 weeks old to use to treat fevers, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, and researchers have found no link between medicines, including vaccines, and autism.
"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!" Trump said, signing the post "President DJT."
The president did not cite the source for any of his medical recommendations.