Paracetamol use during pregnancy will not lead to autism in children, Hong Kong health authorities have stressed, in an apparent rejection of US President Donald Trump’s recent claims of a possible link.
The Department of Health also emphasised on Thursday the importance of timely hepatitis B vaccinations for newborns.
It made the clarification after Trump urged pregnant women not to take Tylenol, the brand name for acetaminophen, or paracetamol, claiming it increased the risk of autism in children.
“Some authorities have specifically noted that studies suggesting a potential link between the two exhibit significant limitations and, in fact, failed to establish a causal relationship,” the department said.
“Conversely, the medical community has long confirmed through more rigorous large-scale studies that there is no association between paracetamol use during pregnancy and autism or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).”
It added that based on its records, no reports had been received linking paracetamol use during pregnancy to autism in children.
The department, which did not name Trump, also cited a recent statement by the World Health Organization (WHO), which indicated there was insufficient scientific evidence to conclude that paracetamol use during pregnancy causes autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders in children.
Several drug regulatory authorities, including those in the European Union, Britain, Australia and Canada, also highlighted that paracetamol remained an important option for pregnant women to relieve pain or fever, it said.
High fever in pregnant women might also pose risks to the life and health of the fetus, it added, calling on them to follow their doctor’s recommendations.
Meanwhile, health authorities also said that based on the WHO’s recommendations, receiving the hepatitis B vaccine at birth and completing the three-dose series as scheduled were crucial for preventing infection and reducing the public health burden of the disease.
It warned that the younger a person was when infected, the higher the risk of developing chronic hepatitis B, which is the leading cause of liver cancer, cirrhosis and liver failure in the city’s population.
“Any proposal to delay newborn immunisations will pose irreversible and significant public health risks to the community. The [department] unequivocally opposes such suggestions,” the department stressed.
On Monday, Trump said the United States Food and Drug Administration would notify doctors that the use of Tylenol during pregnancy could be associated with a “very increased risk of autism”, calling on women to limit the use of the drug during gestation.
His remarks were swiftly met with rejections worldwide, affirming that taking paracetamol during pregnancy remained safe. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
