President Donald Trump has repeated his widely debunked claim that Tylenol is unsafe for expecting mothers on the same day his administration’s health officials revealed a scaled-back childhood vaccine schedule that experts said was not based in new science and could worsen vaccine hesitancy and the return of treatable diseases.
“Pregnant Women, DON’T USE TYLENOL UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, DON’T GIVE TYLENOL TO YOUR YOUNG CHILD FOR VIRTUALLY ANY REASON, 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 wrote on Truth Social Monday.
In September, Trump made many of the same claims, as he and top health officials advanced an unsupported theory that acetaminophen, the active ingredient in the medicine, is tied to rising autism rates.
As The Independent reported at the time, studies, including those funded by the U.S. government, have found fetal exposure to acetaminophen carried no increased risk of a later autism diagnosis. Medical officials also warned that avoiding acetaminophen during pregnancy could put mothers and their babies at risk.
And Trump’s CDC website notes the following on vaccines: “Combining vaccines into fewer shots may mean that more children will get recommended vaccinations on time. And that means fewer delays in disease protection,” the website notes. “Before a combination vaccine is approved for use, it goes through careful testing to make sure the combination vaccine is as safe and effective as each of the individual vaccines given separately.”
The comments from Trump come the same day his administration unveiled a new childhood vaccine schedule that slashed the number of recommended vaccines without consulting the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the body that provides evidence-based recommendations to the CDC.
The overhaul is effective immediately, meaning the CDC will now recommend that all children get vaccinated against 11 diseases, down from 18 a year ago.
The changes, which come as vaccination rates are slipping and families are seeking a record number of vaccine exemptions, rolls back recommendations that all children get common vaccinations such as the flu shot and the Covid vaccine.
“After an exhaustive review of the evidence, we are aligning the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule with international consensus while strengthening transparency and informed consent,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a well-known vaccine skeptic with a history of making unfounded medical claims, said in a statement. “This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health.”
Instead, the administration now recommends such treatments for high-risk youth or based on an individual doctor’s advice. Monday’s announcement does not itself change which vaccines are covered by insurance, though they could impact future state vaccine policy and insurance coverage down the line.
The changes were widely condemned.
“Children’s health and children’s lives are at stake. There’s no evidence that skipping or delaying certain vaccines is beneficial for U.S. children,” Sean O’Leary, a physician who leads the American Academy of Pediatrics’s infectious diseases committee, told The Hill.
“We will be working with our partners across medicine and public health to ensure that parents have credible science backed vaccine recommendations they can trust,” he added, arguing, “tragically, our federal government can no longer be trusted in this role.”
“Changing the pediatric vaccine schedule based on no scientific input on safety risks and little transparency will cause unnecessary fear for patients and doctors, and will make America sicker,” Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a physician, wrote on X.
“New York is facing the highest flu levels in over 20 years as flu rates surge across America,” Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York wrote on X, adding, “RFK Jr. is putting our children in danger. He's making America sicker. And it will lead to more deaths.”
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