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The U.S. has finalized its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, one year after President Donald Trump announced America was ending its 78-year-old commitment, federal officials said Thursday.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s hardly a clean break.<\/p>\n
The U.S. owes more than $130 million to the global health agency, according to WHO. And Trump administration officials acknowledge that they haven\u2019t finished working out some issues, such as lost access to data from other countries that could give America an early warning of a new pandemic.<\/p>\n
The withdrawal will hurt the global response to new outbreaks and will hobble the ability of U.S. scientists and pharmaceutical companies to develop vaccines and medicines against new threats, said Lawrence Gostin, a public health law expert at Georgetown University.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my opinion, it\u2019s the most ruinous presidential decision in my lifetime,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The WHO is the United Nations\u2019 specialized health agency and is mandated to coordinate the response to global health threats, such as outbreaks of\u00a0mpox,\u00a0Ebola\u00a0and\u00a0polio. It also provides technical assistance to poorer countries;\u00a0helps distribute scarce vaccines,\u00a0supplies and treatments; and sets guidelines for hundreds of health conditions, including mental health and cancer.<\/p>\n
Nearly every country in the world is a member.<\/p>\n
U.S. officials helped lead the WHO\u2019s creation, and America has long been among the organization\u2019s biggest donors, providing hundreds of millions of dollars and hundreds of staffers with specialized public health expertise.<\/p>\n
On average, the U.S. pays $111 million a year in member dues to the WHO and roughly $570 million more in annual voluntary contributions, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.<\/p>\n
In an\u00a0executive order\u00a0issued right after taking office, Trump said the U.S. was withdrawing from WHO due to the organization\u2019s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic and other global health crises. He also cited the agency\u2019s \u201cfailure to adopt urgently needed reforms\u201d and its \u201cinability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states.\u201d<\/p>\n
WHO, like other public health organizations, made costly mistakes during the pandemic, including at one point advising people against\u00a0wearing masks. It also asserted that COVID-19 wasn\u2019t airborne, a stance it didn\u2019t\u00a0officially reverse\u00a0until 2024.<\/p>\n
Another Trump administration complaint: None of WHO\u2019s chief executives \u2014 there have been nine since the organization was created in 1948 \u2014 have been Americans. Administration officials view that as unfair given how much the WHO relies on U.S. financial contributions and on U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention personnel.<\/p>\n
Experts say the U.S. exit could cripple numerous global health initiatives, including the effort to eradicate polio, maternal and child health programs, and research to identify new viral threats.<\/p>\n
Dr. Ronald Nahass, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, called the U.S. withdrawal \u201cshortsighted and misguided\u201d and \u201cscientifically reckless.\u201d<\/p>\n
The U.S. has ceased official participation in WHO-sponsored committees, leadership bodies, governance structures and technical working groups. That would seem to include the WHO group that assesses what flu strains are circulating and makes critical decisions about updating flu shots.<\/p>\n
It also signals the U.S. is no longer participating in global flu information-sharing that guides vaccine decisions.<\/p>\n
Such disease intelligence has helped Americans be \u201cat the front of the line\u201d when new outbreaks occur and new vaccines and medicines are quickly needed to counteract them and save lives, Gostin said.<\/p>\n
Trump administration officials say they already have public health relationships with many countries and are working to ensure direct sharing of that kind of information, rather than having WHO serve as a middleman. But U.S. officials did not give specifics about how many such arrangements are in place.<\/p>\n
Gostin, an expert on international public health treaties and collaborations, said it\u2019s unlikely the U.S. will reach agreements with more than a couple dozen countries.<\/p>\n
Many emerging viruses are first spotted in China, but \u201cis China going to sign a contract with the United States?\u201d Gostin said. \u201cAre countries in Africa going to do it? Are the countries Trump has slapped with a huge tariff going to send us their data? The claim is almost laughable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gostin also believes Trump overstepped his authority in pulling out of WHO. The U.S. joined the organization through an act of Congress and it is supposed to take an act of Congress to withdraw, he argued.<\/p>\n
The U.S. is\u00a0legally required\u00a0to give notice one year in advance of withdrawal \u2014 which it did \u2014 but also to pay any outstanding financial obligations.<\/p>\n
The U.S. has not paid any of its dues for 2024 and 2025, leaving a balance of more than $133 million, according to WHO.<\/p>\n
An administration official denied that requirement Thursday, saying the U.S. had no obligation to pay prior to withdrawing as a member.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Shastri reported from Milwaukee.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute\u2019s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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