IDPH 'Deeply Concerned' About Trump's Comments On Tylenol

Health officials throughout the state are condemning comments made by President Donald Trump Monday linking the use of Tylenol during pregnancy and autism. The Illinois Department of Public Health said acetaminophen, an over-the-counter medication used to relieve mild to moderate pain and reduce fever, is safe.

"IDPH is deeply concerned by the federal government issuing medical recommendations that are not backed by the full weight of scientific evidence," the agency said in a Wednesday social media post. "There is no link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism."

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"Don't take Tylenol, don't take it," Trump said during a press conference while flanked by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. "Fight like hell not to take it."

Trump repeated the advice nearly a dozen times, and also encouraged mothers not to give their infants the drug. The president, who added that mothers should "tough it out," acknowledged the advice was based on his personal views.

Kennedy Jr. said that at Trump's urging, he is launching an "all-agency" effort to identify the causes of autism involving the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

"I'm just making these statements from me," Trump said. "I'm not making them from these doctors. Cause when they, uh, talk about, you know, different results, different studies, I talk about a lot of common sense. And they have that, too. They have that too, a lot."

Cook County Health and the Cook County Department of Health also weighed in on the controversial comments, saying, "no credible research has concluded that using acetaminophen during pregnancy causes autism or neurodevelopment disorders in children." The agency said it stands in agreement with its partners at the IDPH, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Coalition of Autism Scientists on the issue.

The IDPH is advising pregnant people to not "tough it out" and that Tylenol has been established as a safe pain reliever and fever reducer for use during pregnancy. Untreated fevers "are clearly associated with pregnancy complications," the agency added.

Patch Editor Beth Dalbey contributed to this story.