{"id":227211,"date":"2025-01-29T20:23:15","date_gmt":"2025-01-29T20:23:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/29\/leaving-the-w-h-o-could-hurt-americans-on-a-range-of-health-matters\/"},"modified":"2025-01-29T20:23:15","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T20:23:15","slug":"leaving-the-w-h-o-could-hurt-americans-on-a-range-of-health-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/29\/leaving-the-w-h-o-could-hurt-americans-on-a-range-of-health-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"Leaving the W.H.O. Could Hurt Americans on a Range of Health Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/24\/multimedia\/00WHO-01-lkbf\/00WHO-01-lkbf-facebookJumbo.jpg?ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Leaving the W.H.O. Could Hurt Americans on a Range of Health Matters\" title=\"Leaving the W.H.O. Could Hurt Americans on a Range of Health Matters\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">President Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization could have harsh consequences for countries around the world that rely on the agency to achieve important health goals, including routine immunizations, outbreak control and nutrition programs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But it could also have unfortunate, unintended repercussions for Americans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Disengaging from the W.H.O. would rob the United States of crucial information about emerging outbreaks like mpox and resurgent dangers like malaria and measles, public health experts said. It may also give more power to nations like Russia and China in setting a global health agenda, and it could hurt the interests of American pharmaceutical and health technology companies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The W.H.O.\u2019s work touches American lives in myriad ways. The agency compiles the International Classification of Diseases, the system of diagnostic codes used by doctors and insurance companies. It assigns generic names to medicines that are recognizable worldwide. Its extensive flu surveillance network helps select the seasonal flu vaccine each year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The agency also closely tracks resistance to antibiotics and other drugs, keeps American travelers apprised of health threats, and studies a wide range of issues such as teen mental health, substance use and aging, which may then inform policies in the United States.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThere\u2019s a reason why there was a W.H.O.,\u201d said Loyce Pace, who served as an assistant secretary of health and human services under former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. \u201cIt\u2019s because we saw value, even as a superpower, in the wake of the world war to come together as a global community on global problems.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cAmerica, no matter how great we are, cannot do this work alone,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Though it will take a year for the withdrawal to take effect \u2014 and it is not entirely clear that it can happen without congressional approval \u2014 Mr. Trump\u2019s announcement has already prompted drastic cost-cutting measures at the W.H.O.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In a memo to employees, the director general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced a hiring freeze and limited renegotiation of major contracts, adding that more measures would follow. He also said all meetings without prior approval should be fully virtual from now on and \u201cmissions to provide technical support to countries should be limited to the most essential.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Late Sunday night, employees of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were instructed, effective immediately, to stop engaging with the W.H.O. in any way. The employees were later told not to participate in meetings or even email conversations that included W.H.O. staff.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The W.H.O. is often criticized as a lumbering bureaucracy, too conservative in its approach and too slow to action. Mr. Trump <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/01\/withdrawing-the-united-states-from-the-worldhealth-organization\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">cited<\/a> the organization\u2019s \u201cmishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic\u201d as one of the main reasons the United States is pulling out.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Many public health experts have for decades called for <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC7122988\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">reforms<\/a> of the agency, noting that it is too timid in calling out its members\u2019 missteps, holds a rigid view of what constitutes medical evidence and has <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/gh.bmj.com\/content\/1\/2\/e000047\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">too many areas<\/a> of focus. The criticisms <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/world\/who-reform-needed-in-wake-of-pandemic-public-health-experts-say-idUSKBN29I1ZE\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">escalated during the pandemic<\/a>, when the W.H.O. was months late in acknowledging that the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/07\/04\/health\/239-experts-with-one-big-claim-the-coronavirus-is-airborne.html\" title=\"\">coronavirus was airborne<\/a> and that the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/09\/health\/coronavirus-asymptomatic-world-health-organization.html\" title=\"\">virus could spread<\/a> in the absence of symptoms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Yet there is no other organization that can match the W.H.O.\u2019s reach or influence in the world, said Dr. Thomas Frieden, who has worked with the W.H.O. for decades, including as a former C.D.C. director.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cAre there lots of things they could be better at? Of course,\u201d he said. But, he added, \u201care they indispensable? Yes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">For all its scope, the W.H.O. has a relatively modest budget, totaling about $6.8 billion for 2024 and 2025. For comparison, the health department of the tiny state of Rhode Island <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/omb.ri.gov\/sites\/g\/files\/xkgbur751\/files\/2024-01\/VOL%20II%20-%20FULL.pdf\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">spent just over $6 billion<\/a> in 2024 alone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The United States is the W.H.O.\u2019s largest donor, accounting for nearly 15 percent of its planned budget.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In the executive order, Mr. Trump complained that the W.H.O. \u201ccontinues to demand unfairly onerous payments from the United States, far out of proportion with other countries\u2019 assessed payments,\u201d adding that China contributes nearly 90 percent less.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Both of those assertions are inaccurate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The obligatory fees are calculated according to each country\u2019s population and income, using a formula approved by member states. For the two-year 2024-25 budget, that amount was $264 million for the United States and $181 million for China, a difference of about 31 percent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Trump\u2019s claim that China pays much less may have been based on voluntary contributions, which are usually motivated by specific interests such as polio eradication: The United States has so far provided $442 million in voluntary contributions for 2024-25, while China has given only $2.5 million. Even so, China\u2019s total contribution is about 74 percent less than the United States\u2019, not 90 percent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Trump\u2019s decision was \u201cnot based on sound, factual ground,\u201d said Helen Clark, a former prime minister of New Zealand and former administrator of the United Nations Development Program.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Monday, the Trump administration <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/27\/health\/pepfar-trump-freeze.html\" title=\"\">halted the distribution<\/a> of H.I.V. drugs purchased with U.S. aid. Abruptly ending treatment will jeopardize the health of people living with H.I.V. and lead to more infections and may drive resistance to available medications, health experts warned.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The W.H.O.\u2019s programs monitor drug resistance worldwide to antibiotics and medications for H.I.V., malaria and other diseases.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThese are not invincible drugs, and having that ability to know when resistance occurs and why we need to change strategies can be very important,\u201d said Dr. Meg Doherty, who directs W.H.O. programs on H.I.V. and sexually transmitted infections.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThey are things that people in the United States should be aware of and should be concerned could come to them in the future,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">If the United States loses access to the W.H.O.\u2019s information and data sharing, online reports and informal communications may fill some of the void, but they may be muffled, filtered or marred by misinformation. And the W.H.O. and other countries are not obligated to share information, such as genetic sequences, with the United States, let alone heed its advice, if the country is not a member.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIf we\u2019re not there, we don\u2019t get to have a voice at all,\u201d Dr. Frieden said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The W.H.O. began in 1948 as a branch of the United Nations focused on global health. Over the decades, it led the eradication of smallpox, nearly vanquished polio and has helped control use of tobacco and trans fats.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Countries that do not have the equivalent of a C.D.C. or a Food and Drug Administration rely on the W.H.O. for public health guidelines, childhood vaccinations and drug approvals, among many other health efforts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cMinistries of health typically won\u2019t move unless there\u2019s a W.H.O. guideline,\u201d said Dr. Chris Beyrer, director of the Duke Global Health Institute and an adviser to the W.H.O.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-7\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">That dynamic has implications for American businesses, allowing pharmaceutical and health technology companies to operate in countries that adhere closely to W.H.O. recommendations, said Anil Soni, chief executive of the W.H.O. Foundation, an independent entity that facilitates partnerships and funding for the organization.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe U.S. won\u2019t be at the table to set the evidence and quality standards that enable competitive positioning of U.S. companies and directly lead to U.S. business,\u201d Mr. Soni said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Trump and others have <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/investigates\/special-report\/health-coronavirus-who-tedros\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">criticized the W.H.O.<\/a> for <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/11\/02\/world\/who-china-coronavirus.html\" title=\"\">not holding China accountable<\/a> early in the pandemic, and for taking too long to declare the Covid-19 pandemic a public health emergency.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But the W.H.O. cannot reprimand its member countries, noted Ms. Clark, who was a co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, which led an inquiry into the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/theindependentpanel.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/COVID-19-Make-it-the-Last-Pandemic_final.pdf\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">W.H.O.\u2019s response<\/a> to the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cW.H.O. has no power to compel countries to do anything,\u201d Ms. Clark said. \u201cIt has only the power of persuasion. China was not transparent, and that hindered W.H.O.\u2019s response.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-8\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Trump has also said that China has too much influence over the W.H.O. But \u201cactually, the real problem is that tiny Pacific islands with 100,000 people have too much power,\u201d Dr. Frieden said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cW.H.O. works by consensus, and so any country can throw a monkey wrench in and stop proceedings,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">It is unclear whether Mr. Trump can unilaterally sever ties with the W.H.O. Unlike most international agreements, which may stem from executive action or require Senate ratification, membership in the W.H.O. was enshrined by a congressional joint resolution and may have to be dissolved in the same way.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-9\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThere\u2019s a very good argument to be made that the president cannot do this himself \u2014 that is, without congressional participation,\u201d said David Wirth, a former State Department official and an expert in foreign relations law at Boston College.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-10\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">If Congress approves, the United States must still give one-year notice of withdrawal and fulfill its financial obligations for the year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Some experts worry that Mr. Trump\u2019s action will prompt nations like Hungary and Argentina, whose leaders are ideologically similar, to follow suit. Already, Italy\u2019s deputy prime minister has proposed a law to leave the W.H.O.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">U.S. withdrawal may also empower authoritarian member states in the organization, like Russia and China. Public health decisions in Russia and China are \u201cmuch more politically controlled, and that\u2019s a danger to everybody,\u201d Dr. Beyrer said. \u201cNone of us wants to live in a world where Russia has a larger voice in global health governance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In his executive order, Mr. Trump said the United States would cease negotiations on amendments to the International Health Regulations, legally binding rules for countries to report emerging outbreaks to the W.H.O. But the latest amendments were adopted by the World Health Assembly last year and are expected to come into force in September.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Ironically, it was the first Trump administration that proposed the amendments because of frustration with the lack of transparency from certain countries during Covid-19, said Ms. Pace, who oversaw negotiations during the Biden administration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Ms. Pace also led negotiations for a pandemic treaty that would allow countries to work together during an international crisis. The treaty <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/24\/health\/pandemic-treaty-vaccines.html\" title=\"\">had been stalled<\/a> and may now collapse.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/29\/health\/who-us-withdrawal.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization could have harsh consequences for countries around the world that rely on the agency to achieve important health goals, including routine immunizations, outbreak control and nutrition programs. But it could also have unfortunate, unintended repercussions for Americans. Disengaging from the W.H.O. would [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":227212,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/24\/multimedia\/00WHO-01-lkbf\/00WHO-01-lkbf-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3392,168,163575,87378,173190,649,13689,10820,1462,167634,1470,52,1021,128437,163486,33775,5908],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227211"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=227211"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227211\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":227213,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227211\/revisions\/227213"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/227212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=227211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=227211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=227211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}