Autism: SCIENCE, NOT SPECULATION

AS MISINFORMATION RESURFACES LINKING VACCINES AND PARACETAMOL TO AUTISM, EXPERTS REAFFIRM THAT SCIENCE-NOT FEAR-MUST GUIDE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING AND HEALTHCARE CHOICES

- ERA DUTTA

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has once again become the unfortunate target of viral misinformation, this time, not from anonymous corners of the internet, but from influential figures, including world leaders and tech founders.

US President Donald Trumps remarks on paracetamol (known as Tylenol in the U.S.) and his scepticism about childhood vaccines have triggered widespread reaction among doctors, scientists, and public health bodies. More recently, a self-published report falsely suggesting a link between vaccines and autism was widely circulated in India, is now receiving great backlash.

‘This misinformation has alarmed experts who warn that such claims could undo decades of vaccination progress and fuel public distrust in healthcare systems. The WHO, once again, clarified that no consistent association has been established between autism and either paracetamol or vaccines.

WHAT IS AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER?