President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization can have severe consequences for countries around the world that depend on the agency to achieve important health goals, including routine vaccinations and disease outbreaks control programs.
But it can also have painful and unintended implications for Americans.
Public health experts said that the separation of the World Health Organization would steal the United States from decisive information about young people such as MPOX and recovery risk such as malaria and measles. It may also give more power to countries such as Russia and China in setting a global health agenda, and may harm the interests of American pharmaceutical and health technology companies.
It touches the work that touches American life in countless ways. The Agency Collects International Diseases Classification, and the diagnostic symbol system used by doctors and insurance companies. It is appointed general names of the drugs that can be recognized all over the world. The wide influenza control network helps to choose seasonal influenza vaccine every year.
The agency also closely tracks resistance to antibiotics and other drugs, and maintains American travelers to see health threats, study a wide range of issues such as teenage health health and use of materials and aging, which may then teach policies in the United States.
“There is a reason behind the presence of the World Health Organization,” said Luis Piece, who served as assistant minister of health and humanitarian services. From the World War to meet as a global community on global problems. “
She said, “America, regardless of our greatness, cannot do this work alone.”
Although it will take a confidentiality to withdraw-not quite clear that it could happen without the approval
In a memorandum of employees, the Director General, Dr. Tedros Adihanum Gryrez, announced the freezing of employment and the limited negotiation of the main contracts, adding that more measures will be followed. He also said that all meetings should be completely prior approval from now on and “tasks to provide technical support to countries should be limited to the most important.”
Late on Sunday night, the staff of the Disease Control and Prevention Centers was directed, effectively, to stop dealing with any form. Employees were later informed of not participating in meetings or even email talks that included employees.
The World Health Organization is often criticized as a bureaucracy that exceeds, and it is very conservative in its approach and very slow at work. Mr. Trump quote “The abuse in the Covid-19s” as one of the main reasons that the United States withdraws.
He invited many public health experts for decades repairs From the agency, indicating that it is very shy in calling the mistakes of its members, it has a rigid vision of what constitutes medical evidence and contains Many areas From focus. Criticism EscalateWhen it was late in confessing that The Coronavirus virus was air -gone This The virus can spread In the absence of symptoms.
There is no other organization that can match the World Health Organization or influence in the world.
“Are there a lot of things that can be better in? Of course, he said. But he added, “Is it indispensable? Yes.”
Despite all its scope, the World Health Organization has a relatively modest budget, with a total of about $ 6.8 billion for the year 2024 and 2025. For comparison, the Ministry of Health in the small state of Rod Island Spend a little more than 6 billion dollars In 2024 alone.
The United States is the largest donor from the World Health Organization, representing approximately 15 percent of its planned budget.
In the executive, Mr. Trump complained that the World Health Organization “is still asking unfair payments from the United States, not commensurate with the estimated payments for other countries,” adding that China is contributing at a rate of approximately 90 percent.
Each of these assurances is inaccurate.
Compulsory fees are calculated according to the population and income of each country, using a formula approved by member states. For the 2024-25 budget for two years, this amount was $ 264 million for the United States and $ 181 million for China, which is about 31 percent.
Mr. Trump’s claim may be based that China is that China is much lower has been based on volunteer contributions, which are usually driven by specific interests such as polio. China has only gave China $ 2.5 million. However, China’s total contribution is 74 percent lower than the United States, not 90 percent.
Helen Clark, former New Zealand Prime Minister and former official of the United Nations Development Program, said that Mr. Trump’s decision “does not depend on a sound basis,” said Helen Clark, former New Zealand Prime Minister and former official of the United Nations Development Program, said that Mr. Trump’s decision “does not depend on a sound basis,”
On Monday, the Trump administration Distribution HIV drugs purchased with American aid. Health experts have warned that the treatment suddenly ends will expose the health of people with HIV and lead to more injuries and may push resistance to the available drugs.
World Health Organization programs monitor drug resistance around the world for antibiotics and drugs for HIV and malaria and other diseases.
“These are not invincible drugs, and they have this ability to know when the resistance occurs and why we need to change strategies can be very important,” said Dr. Meg Duhri, who directs the World Health Organization in HIV and transmitted infections.
She said: “These are things that people in the United States should be aware of and should be anxious that can come to them in the future.”
If the United States loses access to World Health Organization information and data sharing, online and informal communications reports may fill some void, but may be filtered, nominated or marred by wrong information. The World Health Organization and other countries do not need to share information, such as genetic serials, with the United States, not to mention obtaining its advice, if the country is not a member.
Dr. Frieden said: “If we are not there, we will not get a sound at all.”
The World Health Organization began in 1948 as a branch of the United Nations focusing on global health. Over the decades, this has led to smallpox, almost defeated polio and helped control tobacco and unsaturated fats.
The countries that do not have the equivalent of the Center for Diseases or the Food and Drug Administration depend on the World Health Organization for public health instructions, childhood vaccination and drug approvals, among many other health efforts.
“The ministries of health will not usually move, there have been no guidelines for the World Health Organization,” said Dr. Chris Bayer, Director of the Duke World Health Institute and a consultant for the World Health Organization.
This dynamic has effects on American companies, allowing pharmaceutical and health technology companies to work in countries that closely adhere to the recommendations of the World Health Organization.
Mr. Sony said: “The United States will not be on the table to set evidence and quality of criteria that enables the competitive positions of American companies and leads directly to the work of the United States,” said Mr. Sony.
Mr. Trump and others I criticized from to China not holding accountable Early of the epidemic, and to take a long time to announce the Covid-19 in the state of public health.
But who could not reprimand his member countries, Mrs. Clark, who was a chair of participation in the independent committee to prepare for the epidemic and respond to it, noticed an investigation into Who is the response To Covid-19.
Mrs. Clark said: “Whoever does not have authority to force countries to do anything,” said Ms. Clark. “It only has the strength of persuasion. China was not transparent, and this hindered a response.”
Mr. Trump also said that China has a major impact on the World Health Organization, but “in fact, the real problem is that the small Pacific Islands with 100,000 people have great power.”
He said: “Whoever works unanimously, and therefore any country can throw a monkey key in the procedures.”
It is not clear whether Mr. Trump can cut relations unilaterally with the World Health Organization, unlike most international agreements, which may stem from the executive procedure or require the ratification of the Senate, and the membership of the World Health Organization that was allocated under the decision of the Congress. It may have to be resolved in itself.
“There is a very good argument that must be presented that the president cannot do this himself – that is, without the participation of Congress,” said David Worth, a former foreign ministry official and expert on the Boston Foreign Relations Law.
If Congress approves, the United States must make a year withdraw and fulfill its financial obligations for this year.
Some experts are concerned that Mr. Trump’s work will lead to pushing countries such as Hungary and Argentina, whose leaders are similar to ideologically, to follow their example. Indeed, Deputy Prime Minister Italy suggested a law to leave
The American withdrawal may also enable the authoritarian member states of the organization, such as Russia and China. Dr. Bayer said that public health decisions in Russia and China “controlled them are much more politically, and this is a danger to everyone.” “None of us wants to live in a world where Russia has a greater voice in global health rule.”
In his executive order, Mr. Trump said that the United States will stop negotiations on the amendments to international health regulations, and law binding on countries to report is expected to enter into force in September.
Ironically, it is the first Trump administration that suggested the amendments due to frustration that there is no transparency from some countries during Covid-19.
Mrs. Pace also led negotiations to a pandemic treaty that allows countries to work together during an international crisis. Treaty It has stopped It may collapse now.
