US Completes World Health Org. Pullout 01/23 06:27

   

   NEW YORK (AP) -- 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.

   But it's hardly a clean break.

   The U.S. owes more than $130 million to the global health agency, according 
to WHO. And Trump administration officials acknowledge that they haven't 
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.

   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.

   "In my opinion, it's the most ruinous presidential decision in my lifetime," 
he said.

   The WHO is the United Nations' specialized health agency and is mandated to 
coordinate the response to global health threats, such as outbreaks of mpox, 
Ebola and polio. It also provides technical assistance to poorer countries; 
helps distribute scarce vaccines, supplies and treatments; and sets guidelines 
for hundreds of health conditions, including mental health and cancer.

   Nearly every country in the world is a member.

   Trump cited COVID-19 in pulling US from WHO

   U.S. officials helped lead the WHO's creation, and America has long been 
among the organization's biggest donors, providing hundreds of millions of 
dollars and hundreds of staffers with specialized public health expertise.

   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.

   In an executive order issued right after taking office, Trump said the U.S. 
was withdrawing from WHO due to the organization's mishandling of the COVID-19 
pandemic and other global health crises. He also cited the agency's "failure to 
adopt urgently needed reforms" and its "inability to demonstrate independence 
from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states."

   WHO, like other public health organizations, made costly mistakes during the 
pandemic, including at one point advising people against wearing masks. It also 
asserted that COVID-19 wasn't airborne, a stance it didn't officially reverse 
until 2024.

   Another Trump administration complaint: None of WHO's chief executives -- 
there have been nine since the organization was created in 1948 -- 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.

   Public health experts say US exit will hobble responses to threats

   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.

   Dr. Ronald Nahass, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, 
called the U.S. withdrawal "shortsighted and misguided" and "scientifically 
reckless."

   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.

   It also signals the U.S. is no longer participating in global flu 
information-sharing that guides vaccine decisions.

   Such disease intelligence has helped Americans be "at the front of the line" 
when new outbreaks occur and new vaccines and medicines are quickly needed to 
counteract them and save lives, Gostin said.

   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.

   Gostin, an expert on international public health treaties and 
collaborations, said it's unlikely the U.S. will reach agreements with more 
than a couple dozen countries.

   Many emerging viruses are first spotted in China, but "is China going to 
sign a contract with the United States?" Gostin said. "Are 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."

   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.

   US still owes money, WHO says

   The U.S. is legally required to give notice one year in advance of 
withdrawal -- which it did -- but also to pay any outstanding financial 
obligations.

   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.

   An administration official denied that requirement Thursday, saying the U.S. 
had no obligation to pay prior to withdrawing as a member.