President Donald Trump on Friday issued more warnings to pregnant women and parents, urging them to avoid Tylenol unless “absolutely necessary,” restrict giving the drug to young children, and dramatically rework the childhood vaccination schedule.
Trump’s guidance in a post to Truth Social comes in the aftermath of the White House event on autism earlier this week. He insisted then that the widely used painkiller — whose active ingredient is acetaminophen — may carry neurological risks when used during pregnancy.
“Don’t take Tylenol. Don’t take it if you’re pregnant,” he said Monday alongside Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in announcing links between Tylenol taken in pregnancies and autism. “There’s no downside. You’ll be uncomfortable … but don’t take it.”
In Friday’s post, he said, “Don’t give Tylenol to your young child for virtually any reason.”
Turning to vaccines, Trump also addressed the standard combined MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) shot, saying it should not be delivered in one injection but rather “break up the MMR shot into three totally separate shots (not mixed!).”
He also called for administering the chickenpox (varicella) shot separately, delaying the hepatitis B vaccine until age 12 or older, and spreading all vaccines across five separate medical visits instead of stacking them.
Medical and expert pushback has been swift this week.
Obstetricians, pediatricians, and public health officials maintain that acetaminophen (Tylenol) is among the few pain and fever relievers considered safe in pregnancy when used appropriately. They warn that untreated fever — especially in early pregnancy — can itself pose serious dangers to both mother and fetus.
On vaccines, major medical organizations continue to defend the safety and effectiveness of combined shots and standard schedules, citing years of strict testing and data. Critics say breaking up vaccines and delaying them could reduce coverage rates, increase administrative burden, and allow preventable disease outbreaks.
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