President Donald Trump caused a strong controversy by stating that in Cuba “there is no autism” because the country has no money to consume Tylenol, a medicine whose active substance is paracetamol.
The statements were made by Trump during an event at the White House, in which he insisted on limiting the consumption of paracetamol in pregnant women, associating it without scientific evidence to an increase in autism cases.
Experts and public health agencies have flatly rejected this association, qualifying it as unfounded and dangerous, while Cuban reality and scientific evidence demonstrate otherwise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aswv3s5kqkw
During an intervention in the White House, Trump said: “There is a rumor, that I do not know if it is true or not, that in Cuba they do not have tylenol because they do not have money for it and virtually they have no autism,” using this to justify a restrictive policy regarding the use of paracetamol in pregnant women.
The president even ordered the United States Food and Medicines Administration (FDA) to issue new warnings for the medicine under the premise that its consumption could be “associated” with a greater incidence of autism.
Trump was accompanied by his Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for his skeptical position towards vaccines, which added controversial load to the announcement.
In addition, the president reiterated his position on the alleged relationship between children’s vaccines and autism, despite the fact that multiple scientific studies deny that link and underline the importance of vaccination for public health.
Trump raised unfounded concerns in the sense that vaccines contribute to the increase in autism rates, which affects one in 31 children in the United States today, according to the centers for disease control and prevention (CDC).
Demon experts and international organizations respond
The American scientific community soon react. Doctors, researchers and international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) pointed out that evidence on a relationship between Paracetamol and autism are “inconsistent” and emphasized that there is no reason to question the safe use of the medicine during pregnancy.
The WHO spokesman in Geneva, Tarik Jašarević, insisted that it is known with certainty that vaccines do not cause autism and that any doubt about the subject puts public health at risk.
Regulatory health agencies in Europe and the United Kingdom also supported the security of Paracetamol for pregnant women, rejecting the so -called restrictive ones from the United States. For its part, the FDA clarified that to date there is no conclusive scientific evidence that justifies the radical change of its recommendations on the use of Tylenol during pregnancy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tffdu3zoc0
Reality in Cuba
Contrary to what Trump said, in Cuba there are medical records and services dedicated to people with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD).
The health system offers diagnoses, therapies and specialized programs for these patients, with an integral approach that includes treatment and support for families. Even Cuba develops innovative therapies, such as dolphin assisted therapy, which has attracted international attention.
In Cuba, the prevalence of autism is 0.4 per 10 thousand, well below rates in the world that, according to the World Health Organization, is 1 for every 160 children. The approach to this condition is multisectoral, with emphasis on quality health care and specialized and inclusive education, according to a report from the Caribbean channel issued last April.
So far, the statements of the US President have not received coverage in official Cuban media, nor a response from the health authorities.
Science about autism and paracetamol
Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder whose incidence has increased mainly for improvements in the diagnosis and recognition of the autistic spectrum, which covers from severe to mild forms. There is no unique known cause, and it has been shown that genetic and environmental factors can influence.
Paracetamol is one of the most used medications to relieve pain and lower fever worldwide, considered safe when used under medical supervision, even during pregnancy. Autism risk statements linked to this drug lack support in robust studies and have been qualified as anti -scientific by medical and expert institutions.
The mERCADO reacts
The president’s statements caused movements in the market, with the Kenvue company, producer of the Tylenol, experiencing fluctuations in their actions.
This Tuesday, Kenvue’s actions won 6 % when they recovered from a historical minimum of the eve, after analysts pointed to the lack of new scientific evidence that support the statement of President Donald Trump that the popular Tylenol analgesic is related to autism.
“Investors contained breathing fear that yesterday’s announcement was a bomb. It turned out that it was not, since there were no new scientific evidence to relate Tylenol with autism,” said James Harlow, vice president of Novare Capital Management.
Analysts agree that the lack of evidence reduces the judicial and financial impact risk in the long term, although they alert about possible temporal negative effects on consumption product of misinformation.
