Leaving the W.H.O. Could Hurt Americans on a Range of Health Matters

The decision of President Trump to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization could have sharp consequences for countries around the world that rely on the agency in achieving important health goals, including routine immunization, control and eating programs.

But that could also have unhappy, unintentional consequences for Americans.

Decision from WHO, which would plunder the United States of Key Information Infidelities, such as MPOX re -danger such as malaria and measles, said public health experts. It can also give more power to nations such as Russia and China in setting a global health program, and could harm the interests of American companies for pharmaceutical and health technology.

WHO -O’s work touches Americans in countless ways. The Agency assembles international disease classification, a system of diagnostic codes used by doctors and insurance companies. It assigns generic names with drugs that are recognizable around the world. Its extensive flu nettle net helps to choose a seasonal flu vaccine every year.

The Agency also carefully monitors antibiotic resistance and other drugs, keeps US passengers familiar with health threats and studies a wide range of problems such as teenage mental health, use of substances and aging, which can then inform policies in the United States.

“There is a reason why he existed,” said Loyce Pace, who served as Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services under former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. “This is because we have seen in alertness, even as a superpower since World War I that will gather as a global community on global problems.”

“America, no matter how great we are, I can’t do this job alone,” she said.

Although it will take a year to withdraw the POPA and it is not quite clear that this can happen without the approval of Mr. Trump’s Congress-Najava, but has encouraged drastic measures to reduce costs at WHO

In the employee’s record, General Director, Dr. Tedros Adhan Ghebreyesus, announced the freezing of employment and limited negotiation of the main contracts, adding that several measures will follow. He also said that all meetings without prior approval should be completely virtual, and “Missions for the provision of technical support of countries should be limited to the most important.”

Late on Sunday night, employees of American centers for the control and prevention of illness are sent immediately to stop doing Who. Employees were later told not to participate in meetings or even talks e -places involving the WHO staff.

Who often criticizes as a tumultuous bureaucracy, too conservative in their approach and too slow in action. Mr. Trump cited Organizations “Misdemeanor Pandemic Coid-19” as one of the main reasons why the United States is withdrawn.

Many public health experts have been invited for decades reform agencies, noting that too much shit is in the invitation of the wrong steps of its members, it is firmly shown what the medical evidence represents and has Too many areas focus. Criticism escalated during pandemicWhen he was late for months in acknowledging that The coronavirus was in the air And yes The virus could spread In the absence of symptoms.

However, there is no other organization that can reconcile the reach or influence of WHO to the world, said Dr. Thomas Frieden, who has worked with WHO for decades, including former CDC director.

“Is there a lot of things you could be better?” Of course, “he said. But, he added, “Are they necessary? Yes.”

For all its extent, WHO has a relatively modest budget, with a total of about $ 6.8 billion for 2024 and 2025. For comparison, the Rhode Island Health Department spent just over $ 6 billion Only 2024.

The United States is the largest donor who, which accounts for almost 15 percent of the planned budget.

In the executive order, Mr. Trump complained that he “continued to demand unjustly difficult payments from the United States, far proportional to the rated payments of other countries,” adding that China contributes almost 90 percent less.

Both claims are incorrect.

Compulsory fees are calculated according to the population and income of each country, using the formula approved by the Member States. For a two-year budget of 2024-25, that amount was $ 264 million for the United States and $ 181 million for China, which is a difference of about 31 percent.

Trump’s claim that China pays much less may have been based on voluntary contributions, which are usually motivated by specific interests such as Poliota eradication: United States so far secured $ 442 million voluntary contributions for 2024-25, while China has given only $ 2.5 million . Nevertheless, the overall contribution of China is about 74 percent lower than the United States, not 90 percent.

Mr. Trump’s decision “was not based on sound, factual terrain,” said Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and a former administrator of the United Nations Development Program.

On Monday is Trump’s administration stopped distribution HIV drugs purchased with American help. Strongly completed treatment will threaten the health of people living with HIV and lead to more infections and can lead to resistance to available medicines, health experts warned.

Who -TRA programs are accompanied by drug resistance around the world to antibiotics and medicines for HIV, malaria and other diseases.

“These are not invincible drugs and have the opportunity to know when resistance occurs and why we need to change strategies can be very important,” said Dr. Meg Doherty, who directs programs to HIV -UI sexually transmitted infections.

“These are things that people in the United States should be aware and who should be worried, they could come to them in the future,” she said.

If the United States loses access to information and dividing the WHO data, internet reports and informal communications can fill part of the emptiness, but may be muffled, filtered or disparaged by misinformation. And WHO and other countries are not obliged to share information, such as genetic sequences, with the United States, let alone be careful about its advice, if the country is not a member.

“If we are not there, we don’t have to have a voice at all,” said Dr. Frieden.

WHO began in 1948 as a branch of the United Nations focused on global health. Over the decades, he led the eradication of small goddesses, almost defeated Polio and helped in control of the use of tobacco and trans fat.

Countries that do not have the equivalent of CDC or food and medication administration rely on WHO public health guidelines, childhood vaccination and drug approval, among many other health efforts.

“The Ministry of Health will not usually move if there is no such guideline,” said Dr. Chris Beyrer, Director of the Global Health Institute Duke and Advisor The Who

This dynamic has consequences on US companies, allowing companies with pharmaceutical and health technology to operate in the countries that are closely adhered to by the recommendation of WHO, said Anil Soni, Executive Director of the WHO Foundation, an independent entity that facilitates partnerships and financing organization.

“The US will not be at the table to set evidence and quality standards that allow competitive positioning of US companies and directly lead to US business,” said Mr. Soni.

Mr. Trump and others have criticized who for Not considering China responsible Early in pandemic and for too long duration to declare pandemia of Coid-19 urgent public health.

But WHO cannot be reprimanded by its Member States, noted Mrs. Clark, who was the co -president of an independent panel for the readiness and response of the pandemic, which led to the examination in Who is the answer on Coid-19 pandemia.

“Who does not have the power to force the countries to do anything,” Mrs. Clark said. “It only has the strength of the persuasion. China was not transparent and it hindered who the answer was.”

Mr. Trump also said that China has too much effect on WHO, but “in fact, the real problem is that the small quiet ocean islands with 100,000 people have too much power,” said Dr. Frieden.

“Who does the consensus and thus any country can throw a monkey key and stop the procedure,” he said.

It is unclear whether Mr. Trump unilaterally interrupts ties with anyone, unlike most international agreements, which may result from executive actions or require a ratification of Senate, a member of WHO in congress common resolution and may need to be dissolved in the same way.

“There is a very good argument that the president cannot do it alone – it is, without participating in the congress,” said David Wirth, a former State Department official and a foreign relations expert on Boston College.

If the Congress approves, the United States must still inform the one -year withdrawal notice and fulfill their financial obligations for the year.

Some experts take care that Mr. Trump’s activities will encourage nations like Hungary and Argentina, whose leaders are ideologically similar to that they follow it. Already the Italian Deputy Government has proposed a law that will leave anyone

The withdrawal of the US can also strengthen the authoritarian Member States in the organization, such as Russia and China. The decisions on public health in Russia and China “are much politically controlled, which is a danger to everyone,” said Dr. Beyrer. “None of us want to live in a world where Russia has a greater voice in global health management.”

In his executive command, Mr. Trump said the United States will stop negotiations on amendments to international health regulations, legal binding rules that they have reported on the epidemic of new years, but the latest amendments have adopted the World Health Assembly last year and whether they are a world health assembly , and they are expected to take effect in September.

It is ironic that the first Trump administration has proposed amendments due to frustration due to lack of transparency from certain countries during the Covid-19, said Mrs. Pace, who supervised the negotiations during the Biden administration.

Mrs. Pace also conducted negotiations on a pandemic contract that would allow countries to work together during the international crisis. Agreement was stopped And now it can be demolished.