CNN's Havana Bureau Chief Reports: Yes, There Is Autism in Cuba Despite Trump's Bizarre and False' Claims

"On Monday, Trump held a press conference with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and made a number of unfounded claims about autism, blamed women for taking Tylenol during pregnancy, misrepresented the current vaccine schedule, and erroneously asserting that the Amish have no autism. Trump made a similar claim about Cuba. I will say there are parts of the world that don't take Tylenol, Trump said. I mean, there's a rumor, and I don't know if it's so or not, that Cuba they don't have Tylenol because they don't have the money for Tylenol. And they have virtually no autism. OK? Tell me about that one."

"As Oppmann reported, despite Trump's bizarre and false claim, yes, there is autism in Cuba and information about how the island's healthcare system treats autism is available to anyone savvy enough to write Cuba' and autism' into Google. The reality of autism existing in Cuba would normally be too obvious to be a news story, wrote CNN's resident fact checker Daniel Dale in a post sharing his colleague's article. Oppmann noted the years of public local reporting in Cuba on the state-run medical system's efforts to treat Cubans with autism, including clinics and awareness campaigns. As the state-run website Cubadebate reported, "there are 300 Cuban health professionals specialized in autism working in seven centers across the island devoted to treating patients with autism, Oppmann wrote, including specific treatments that have been in development since 2018. Cuba does report much lower instances of autism than many developed countries, but that is attributed to the lack of resources needed to more widely diagnose the condition, Oppmann wrote."

President Trump claimed parts of the world that do not take Tylenol, including Cuba, have virtually no autism and made other unfounded statements about autism and vaccines. Autism exists in Cuba and public information documents how the island's healthcare system treats autistic patients. Cuban medical efforts include clinics, awareness campaigns, and specialized professionals working with autistic people. There are approximately 300 Cuban health professionals focused on autism operating in seven dedicated centers, with specific treatments developed since 2018. Cuba reports lower autism incidence than many developed countries, and that lower reporting is attributed to limited resources and underdiagnosis rather than absence of autism.

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