Don’t take medical advice from Trump
A top Shropshire doctor has added to national calls for residents to take health advice from their GP in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s statements.
Mr Trump said there has been a “meteoric rise” in cases of autism and he suggested Tylenol – which is called paracetamol in the UK – is a potential cause.
He said the painkillers should not be taken during pregnancy, suggesting pregnant women should “tough it out”, and also raised unfounded concerns about vaccines.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service took the opportunity to ask members of The Shrewsbury & Telford Hospitals NHS Trust and Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust (Shropcom) what they thought.
The question was: “Given the international and national headlines, should the good people of Shropshire take their health advice from Donald Trump?”
Andrew Morgan, chair in common of SaTH and Shropcom, invited one of his medical colleagues to field that question, which he took as being about paracetamol.
Dr John Jones, SaTH’s medical director, said: “I’ll say the obvious, no. “
He went on to say that he ‘fundamentally believes discussions’ about health should come from a “relationship between our population and their excellent GPs in Telford & Wrekin and Shropshire.”
He added that people should “rely on those very strong relationships” when discussing worries and concerns about their health.
Dr Jones said the NHS mainstream guidance is “well informed and based on good evidence”.
He added: “So there is plenty of good information to support families.”
He added that the UK has a unique model of general practice, and it is “something we should be proud of and take confidence from.”
PA reporters David Hughes, George Lithgow and Jane Kirby have reported health secretary Wes Streeting saying that expectant mothers should ignore Donald Trump’s claims about paracetamol use being linked to autism.
The president’s comments have also been criticised by autism campaigners and scientists in the UK.
Mr Streeting said: “I trust doctors over President Trump, frankly, on this.”
Mr Streeting told ITV’s Lorraine: “I’ve just got to be really clear about this: there is no evidence to link the use of paracetamol by pregnant women to autism in their children. None.
“In fact, a major study was done back in 2024 in Sweden, involving 2.4 million children, and it did not uphold those claims.
“So I would just say to people watching, don’t pay any attention whatsoever to what Donald Trump says about medicine. In fact, don’t even take my word for it as a politician – listen to British doctors, British scientists, the NHS.”
Mr Trump’s comments about vaccines are a particular concern at a time when “you’ve got kids in this country now dying of measles, whooping cough, kids not taking the RSV vaccine when those respiratory diseases can be life-threatening in our children”.
In his White House announcement, Mr Trump said: “There are certain groups of people that don’t take vaccines and don’t take any pills, that have no autism.”
Mr Trump said the US Food and Drug Administration would be notifying all US doctors with new guidance about paracetamol.
“Ideally, you don’t take it at all, but if you have to, if you can’t tough it out, if there’s a problem, you’re going to end up doing it.”
On combined vaccines, he said: “It’s so important to me to… see the doctor four times or five times for a vaccine. Don’t let them pump your baby up with the largest pile of stuff you’ve ever seen in your entire life going into the delicate little body of a baby.
“Even if it’s two years, three years, four years… I would say five, but let’s say four visits to the doctor instead of one.”
Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, outgoing chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, warned of the danger posed by Mr Trump’s comments.
“I am really worried that this rise of misinformation from many different parties, including the government in the United States, does undermine confidence globally,” he told BBC Radio 4’s World at One.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued a statement on Tuesday confirming there is “no evidence that taking paracetamol during pregnancy causes autism in children”.
Mel Merritt, head of policy and campaigns at the National Autistic Society, said: “The incessant misinformation about autism from President Trump and Robert F Kennedy Jr risks undermining decades of research by respected experts in the field.
“We urge anyone looking for information about autism to visit websites from trusted organisations such as the NHS and the National Autistic Society.”
Experts say the rise in autism cases in the US is mainly because of a new definition for the disorder that now includes mild cases on a spectrum and better diagnoses.
In the UK, the NHS website says “paracetamol is the first choice of painkiller if you’re pregnant. It’s commonly taken during pregnancy and does not harm your baby”.
In August this year, a study from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Mount Sinai hospital reported that exposure to acetaminophen, which is also known as Tylenol or paracetamol, during pregnancy may mean children were more likely to develop neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and ADHD.
They concluded that, while steps should be taken to limit acetaminophen use, the drug was important for treating fever and pain in mothers, which could also harm babies.
