Sheffield councillor called out for posting video of Dubai stem-cell autism 'cure'
"Coun Ahmed needs to seriously reconsider his social media usage”
A Sheffield councillor has been criticised for sharing a video promoting the treatment of autism with stem cells.
Mustafa Ahmed, Green Councillor for Burngreave in Sheffield, posted a video to his Facebook page advertising a clinic in Dubai.
The video, downloaded from TikTok, has since removed it from his page, with the councillor saying he never meant to post it.
Stem-cell autism 'cures' have previously been investigated by the Metropolitan Police as "fraud relating to the provision of medical services" which pose "a significant threat to life".
The NHS's autism central webpages note there is a "multi-billion pound global autism 'cure/treatment' industry just waiting to exploit parents".
It highlights that there are "very major risks" associated with stem cell treatments, that there is "no scientific evidence that it is effective," and that stem-cell release "is not authorised by the NHS".
The National Autistic Society notes that autism is genetic and the 'cures' that are promoted can be "harmful or even life threatening".
Minesh Parekh, Labour and Co-operative councillor in Sheffield, raised concerns and said: "It is deeply irresponsible and, frankly, dangerous for an elected councillor to be sharing so-called cures and dodgy interventions.
"Councillors have a responsibility to fact-check information they share, not feed into dangerous conspiracy theories.
"It is extremely worrying to see Councillor Ahmed encouraging 'treatments' that have no scientific basis, are not endorsed by the NHS, and which can pose significant risks to a child's health and wellbeing.
"Coun Ahmed needs to seriously reconsider his social media usage."
Councillor Ahmed said he was just reading about the treatment and hadn't mean to repost the video to his followers.
The Westminster commission on Autism has previously called on social media giants to ban users who promote harmful therapies with no evidential basis.