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Alsharq Tribune-AFP
Australian Health Minister Mark Butler said Wednesday he was worried that U.S. claims about the safety of paracetamol and the measles vaccine could cause uncertainty among pregnant women.
Butler responded to U.S. President Donald Trump's claims about paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen, and the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine by assuring Australians that both are classified as safe by local health authorities.
"I don't want pregnant women right now to feel unsure about what to do. I don't want women who were pregnant in the past to feel unsure or even guilty about the fact that they took a treatment that was advised to them as being safe," he told Australia's Nine Network television.
Trump on Monday advised pregnant women to limit their use of paracetamol, claiming that it increases the risk of their unborn children developing autism, and said that the MMR vaccine should be administered separately rather than as a combined shot.
Butler said he was "really worried" that Trump's comments would cause Australian women who are currently pregnant to be unsure or afraid about what to do if they became ill and asked Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to review the U.S. administration's claims.
He said the advice from the TGA is that paracetamol is safe to use for pregnant women, particularly to treat fever, and that the MMR vaccine provides "really strong protection" against potentially serious diseases.
The MMR vaccine is free for all Australian children to receive at 12 months under the National Immunization Program.
