Malta Health Chiefs Calm Calpol Panic After Trump Autism Claim
Health authorities move to ‘reassure public’ after Trump’s paracetamol claims
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Valletta – Maltese health officials have stepped in to calm a mini-storm on Facebook parent groups after former U.S. president Donald Trump told a U.S. podcast that paracetamol “could be” behind a rise in autism cases worldwide. Within hours, screenshots of the clip were circulating on Maltese feeds, peppered with worried emojis and the inevitable question: “Should we stop giving our kids Calpol?”
The Superintendent of Public Health, Prof. Charmaine Gauci, issued a blunt two-line statement late Tuesday night: “Paracetamol remains safe when used correctly. Parents should follow the dosing instructions on the packet or those given by their paediatrician.” The Malta Medicines Authority followed up yesterday morning with a Q&A carousel in Maltese and English, stressing that no peer-reviewed study links the common fever-reducer to autism spectrum disorder.
Still, the reassurance was needed. In Malta, paracetamol is the go-to remedy for everything from post-football aches to teething toddlers. Pharmacy sales data seen by this newsroom show that 1.8 million packs were sold last year—roughly four for every resident. “It’s practically a cultural institution,” laughed Maria Farrugia, a pharmacist in Birkirkara, as she restocked a shelf of bright-purple Panadol boxes. “People ask for it by name the way they ask for Kinnie.”
Local paediatricians say the Trump clip hit a nerve because Maltese parents are already hypersensitive to health scares. “We’ve had measles outbreaks, a global pandemic, and now a shortage of some antibiotics,” Dr. Claudia Buttigieg, who works at Mater Dei’s children’s outpatients clinic, explained. “When an international figure says something explosive, it feels close to home because we’re such a small, tightly networked island.” She has fielded 14 calls since Monday from mothers asking whether they should switch to ibuprofen or ditch painkillers entirely.
The autism community itself is frustrated that the discussion is once again centred on a debunked cause rather than on support services. “We’re tired of being used as a cautionary tale,” said Andre’ Camilleri, board member of the Malta Autism Centre. “What we need is more speech therapists in state schools, not panic over Calpol.” Only 38 state-funded professionals currently serve the 1,200-plus children with an official ASD diagnosis, forcing families to pay €50 an hour for private sessions.
By yesterday afternoon, the story had jumped from health forums to political Facebook groups. One popular page juxtaposed Trump’s face with a packet of paracetamol and the caption: “Is this why our kids can’t sit still for PSCAs?” The post drew 600 comments ranging from eye-roll emojis to full-blown conspiracy threads. Education Minister Clifton Grima replied with a GIF of a face-palm, prompting both praise and accusations of making light of parental concerns.
Meanwhile, the Church’s Family Commission urged calm, reminding followers that “medicine is a gift from God when used wisely.” Parish priests in Żejtun and Mosta mentioned the issue in their homilies last night, telling congregants not to let “foreign headlines” override local medical advice. The Maltese Association of Christian Professionals plans to host a free webinar next Thursday titled “Fever: Facts vs Fear,” featuring a pharmacist, a developmental paediatrician, and a theologian.
Back in the pharmacies, sales have not dipped—yet. “Maltese trust their doctors more than their Facebook feeds, thank God,” said Farrugia, ringing up another box of junior-strength syrup. “But we’ve put the official statement on the counter just in case.”
Health authorities are betting that the island’s communal grapevine, so often the carrier of alarm, will this time relay the message that paracetamol is still safe. As Prof. Gauci put it in her sign-off: “When in doubt, ask your doctor, not a podcast.”
