HHS roadmap to slow rise in autism: advises no Tylenol for pregnant women, non-mercury vaccines

The Health and Human Services under President Donald Trump has begun its long-awaited research into the autism epidemic in the U.S. and has already come up with some recommendations such as removing mercury from vaccines and advising women not to take Tylenol while pregnant. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported earlier this year that 1 in 31 American eight-year-olds had been diagnosed with the condition in 2022, compared with 1 in 150 in 2000.

Trump said on Monday the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be informing doctors that the use of acetaminophen, used in Tylenol, “can be associated” with an increased risk of autism.

“Taking Tylenol is not good," Trump said during remarks at the White House alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "All pregnant women should talk to their doctors about limiting the use of this medication while pregnant.”

He said that the only time pregnant women should take Tylenol is if they have headaches or high fevers. 

Tynelol maker: "Dangerous choices"

A spokesperson for Tylenol maker Kenvue told Politico that the company strongly disagreed with any suggestion linking Tylenol to autism, claiming that discouraging women from using the drug would force them to make “dangerous choices” between enduring pain that could be harmful to them and their babies, and taking riskier pain relief drugs.

Dean of the Faculty at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Andrea Baccarelli said in a statement shared by the Rapid Response 47 X account: "We found evidence of an association between exposure to acetaminophen during pregnancy and increased incidence of neurodevelopmental disorders in children."

Trump also said the HHS wants to get mercury and aluminum out of vaccines. 

"We want no mercury in the vaccine," Trump said. "We want no aluminum in the vaccine. The MMR, I think, should be taken separately. This is based on what I feel."

"MMR" is short for the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccine. Trump said he believes those vaccines should be taken separately. 

"It seems that when you mix them, there could be a problem," Trump said. "So there's no downside in taking them separately. In fact, they think it's better. So let them be separate."

More on changes to vaccines

Regarding the Hepatitis B vaccine, Trump said that his administration is recommending that newborn babies don't get that shot until they are older. As of now, the CDC recommends that newborns get the Hepatitis B vaccine. 

"There's no reason to give a baby that's just born Hepatitis B, [vaccines]" Trump said. "So I would say, wait until the baby is 12 years old."

The Hepatitis B vaccine is an injection that aims to stop an HBV infection, which is a liver disease. 

National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya announced during the press briefing that the Trump administration was investing $50 million into studies about the causes of autism and that previous research was devoted to genetics instead of other potential causes.

"The studies feature a new kind of science called exposomics with biology and genetics to answer vital questions about autism," Bhattacharya said. "Science like this, conducted in partnership with families and physicians, is the best way to arrest and reverse the autism epidemic. Autism Spectrum Disorder encompasses a very wide range of symptoms, ranging from mild difficulties with social interactions to profoundly autistic children who experience severe disabilities in speech and behavior."

While Kennedy did not name any specific vaccine that potentially causes autism, he said that many mothers believe that a vaccine injured their children.

"Some 40–70% of mothers who have children with autism believe that their child was injured by a vaccine," Kennedy said. "President Trump believes that we should be listening to these mothers instead of gaslighting and marginalizing them like prior administrations."

During the press briefing, Kennedy also said that research has shown a different kind of therapy besides speech therapy may be able to help kids with autism.

"Our research has revealed that folate deficiency in a child's brain can lead to autism," he said. "We have also identified an exciting therapy that may benefit large numbers of children who suffer from autism. Peer reviewed literature has documented that up to 60% of folate deficient children with ASD have improved verbal communications if given leucovorin. I have instructed NIH, FDA and CMS to help doctors treat children appropriately."

Leucovorin is currently used to treat cancer and anemia.

FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said that efforts by the Trump administration to tackle the autism epidemic show a "historic shift" in medical culture. 

"This administration is working together to ask big questions about why our nation's children are getting sick so fast [and] too often," Makary said. "Medicine is doing small little studies, giving us answers we already knew. But we've got to make a difference."