President Trump: Withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization (5) 'US public health officials have been told to stop working with the World Health Organization, effective immediately'

28 January, 2025

With thanks to Global Health Now. (Meanwhile we learn from the New York Times: 'Trump administration halts HIV drug distribution in poor countries')

'U.S. public health officials yesterday were ordered to stop working with the WHO, effective immediately, in person and virtual; workers surprised by the sudden stoppage warned it would set back work investigating and addressing threats including Marburg virus, mpox, and avian flu.'

Read in full: https://apnews.com/article/cdc-who-trump-548cf18b1c409c7d22e17311ccdfe1f6

CDC ordered to stop working with WHO immediately, upending expectations of an extended withdrawal

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. public health officials have been told to stop working with the World Health Organization, effective immediately.

A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official, John Nkengasong, sent a memo to senior leaders at the agency on Sunday night telling them that all staff who work with the WHO must immediately stop their collaborations and “await further guidance.”

Experts said the sudden stoppage was a surprise and would set back work on investigating and trying to stop outbreaks of Marburg virus and mpox in Africa, as well as brewing global threats. It also comes as health authorities around the world are monitoring bird flu outbreaks among U.S. livestock.

The Associated Press viewed a copy of Nkengasong’s memo, which said the stop-work policy applied to “all CDC staff engaging with WHO through technical working groups, coordinating centers, advisory boards, cooperative agreements or other means — in person or virtual.” It also says CDC staff are not allowed to visit WHO offices.

President Donald Trump last week issued an executive order to begin the process of withdrawing the U.S. from WHO, but that did not take immediate effect. Leaving WHO requires the approval of Congress and that the U.S. meets its financial obligations for the current fiscal year. The U.S. also must provide a one-year notice.

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HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org