Trump Administration Risks More Lives to Contagious Disease by Cutting Ties with WHO
WASHINGTON, D.C. — While measles spreads in Texas and beyond, the US comes off a harsh flu season and threats of polio and other infectious diseases draw headlines, the U.S. is reeling from the effects of the federal government’s attack on science as it dismantles its health agencies and ignores warnings from top health experts. Still, the Trump Administration chooses to risk more lives in the U.S. and worldwide by cutting ties with the World Health Organization.
In a new brief, Public Citizen Researcher Megan Whiteman outlines how, without the sophisticated, comprehensive disease surveillance networks and health programs facilitated by WHO, the Trump Administration is leaving people more vulnerable to serious, in some cases deadly, disease.
Here are the highlights:
- WHO facilitates rapid response to health threats
- WHO coordinates critical global surveillance efforts
- WHO led the effort to eradicate smallpox and continues to support smallpox biosafety, biosecurity, and preparedness.
- WHO helps get medicines to the places where they are needed to address health threats.
For over 70 years, the U.S. has worked in partnership with WHO and countries around the world to bolster health security and pursue better health for all. Just this week, WHO member states showed their commitment to global collaboration with a first of its kind pandemic agreement.
Yet, at the same time, Whiteman says, Trump’s executive order to pull the country out of WHO could harm all of us.
“The U.S. does not exist in isolation and diseases don’t respect borders,” said Whiteman. “There is absolutely no benefit to severing communication and disease surveillance between experts in the U.S. from those around the globe. Proceeding down the shortsighted path to withdraw from WHO only makes us more vulnerable and undermines the collaboration essential to addressing common threats and improving health.”
Read the full brief here. For inquiries or interviews with Public Citizen health experts, contact Katie Garcia, kgarcia@citizen.org.