The United States has officially withdrawn from the World Health Organization, President Donald Trump‘s administration announced on Thursday (January 22) via ABC News.
The official withdrawal came exactly one year after Trump signed an executive order to begin the process and was announced by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of State. A senior HHS official claimed that the WHO “strayed from its core mission and has acted contrary to the U.S. interests in protecting the U.S. public on multiple occasions,” focusing much of its critique on actions that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The HHS accused the WHO of delaying its response in declaring COVID-19 to be a global health emergency and unfairly criticizing Trump — who was in his first of two non-consecutive presidential terms — for his actions at the time, which included shutting down travel to specific foreign countries early in the pandemic. The HHS also argued that other countries, including China, contributed less than the U.S. monetarily and that WHO has never had an American director-general despite the large finances contributed.
Public health experts have criticized the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the WHO, claiming it would put the U.S. at a disadvantage during domestic and international health crises.
“The U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization is a shortsighted and misguided abandonment of our global health commitments. Global cooperation and communication are critical to keep our own citizens protected because germs do not respect borders,” said Ronald Nahass, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, via ABC News.
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