Source: Robert Hradil / Getty
U.S. public health officials have been instructed to immediately halt collaborations with the World Health Organization, according to a memo from a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official.
The sudden stoppage is expected to impact efforts to investigate and prevent outbreaks of diseases such as Marburg virus and mpox in Africa.
President Trump’s executive order to withdraw the U.S. from WHO has not yet taken effect, but federal health agencies have been directed to cease most communications with the public through at least the end of the month.
“Stopping communications and meetings with WHO is a big problem,” said Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, a University of Southern California public health expert who collaborates with WHO on work against sexually transmitted infections.
“People thought there would be a slow withdrawal. This has really caught everyone with their pants down,” said Klausner, who said he learned of it from someone at CDC.
The move has raised concerns among experts about the potential negative impact on global health efforts and the exchange of critical information between the U.S. and WHO.
The CDC assigns nearly 30 staff members to the WHO and provides millions of dollars through cooperative agreements. With some of the world’s top experts in infectious diseases and public health, the two agencies collaborate daily to address health threats and strategies to combat them.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/cdc-who-trump-548cf18b1c409c7d22e17311ccdfe1f6