Staff at the World Health Organization are B次元官网网址渄evastatedB次元官网网址� by President Donald TrumpB次元官网网址檚 executive order to pull the U.S. out of the agency, a Canadian global health specialist says.
Dr. Madhukar Pai, the Canada Research Chair in Epidemiology and Global Health, is at the WHO headquarters in Geneva this week for meetings about tuberculosis and was there at the time Trump signed the order Monday.
B次元官网网址淓verything went crazy,B次元官网网址� said Pai, who is also a global health professor at McGill University in Montreal, in an interview from Geneva on Tuesday.
B次元官网网址滶verybody here is absolutely stressed, devastated, and literally freaking out because some of their programs at WHO are extremely reliant on U.S. government funding,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e not even sure how to keep the lights on, keep their staff working, keep the programs going, so itB次元官网网址檚 a pretty massive crisis.B次元官网网址�
Losing the large amount of funding the U.S. provides the WHO B次元官网网址� about 18 per cent of its budget in 2023, according to the agency B次元官网网址� is a threat to public health, Pai said.
B次元官网网址漈here are wide-ranging impacts, I would say, to all countries, not just Canada,B次元官网网址� he said.
But CanadaB次元官网网址檚 geographic proximity puts it at additional risk if its southern neighbour fails to respond appropriately to public health threats, Pai said.
B次元官网网址淚 think weB次元官网网址檒l be hit, for example, if there is a new outbreak and (the) U.S. is simply not engaged with WHO or the global response. And if that outbreak spreads within the U.S. B次元官网网址� I think Canada will be the first one to be impacted given the movement of population between our two countries, trade and our fairly open borders.B次元官网网址�
One current threat is H5N1 avian flu B次元官网网址� a highly pathogenic strain of influenza that has wiped out poultry farms in both Canada and the U.S., he said. Although the illness has primarily infected U.S. farm workers with mild symptoms, one senior who was exposed to a backyard flock in Louisiana died of the virus earlier this month.
Canada has had one confirmed human case of H5N1 B次元官网网址攁 teenage girl in B.C. who became severely ill and was hospitalized.
Pai is calling on the Canadian government B次元官网网址� along with other G7 countries B次元官网网址� to B次元官网网址渟tep upB次元官网网址� and help fill the funding void that will be left by the U.S., both through financial contributions to the WHO as well as by taking a leadership role in global health.
But he noted CanadaB次元官网网址檚 own political turmoil B次元官网网址� including the Liberal leadership race to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and TrumpB次元官网网址檚 threat to slap punishing tariffs on the country B次元官网网址� could make that unlikely.
B次元官网网址淥ur leaders are probably more worried about the tariffs than they are worried about anything else at this stage,B次元官网网址� Pai said.
Dr. Prabhat Jha, founding director of the Centre for Global Health Research at Unity Health Toronto, said he would also like to see the Canadian government increase support for the WHO.
But he said the country that will hurt the most from TrumpB次元官网网址檚 withdrawal is the U.S. itself.
B次元官网网址滱 lot of it is symbolism B次元官网网址� Trump basically, you know, giving the middle finger to the world,B次元官网网址� Jha said in an interview from Sierra Leone on Tuesday.
B次元官网网址淚n the end, itB次元官网网址檚 going to hurt Americans because they lose the (health) intelligence, they lose the access to the global networks if thereB次元官网网址檚 another pandemic,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址�(The WHO) wonB次元官网网址檛 share the information as easily with the U.S. as they would otherwise.B次元官网网址�
A bigger concern, Jha said, is the message the U.S. pullout B次元官网网址渟ends about nationalism.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址�(It says) basically that you donB次元官网网址檛 need to have global co-operation on disease, which is absolutely stupid and completely self defeating.B次元官网网址�
Jha said the B次元官网网址渟ilver liningB次元官网网址� of TrumpB次元官网网址檚 move is that it could spark B次元官网网址渞eformB次元官网网址� to make the WHO less dependent on the U.S.
B次元官网网址淚t means the world has to co-operate more, even if America goes it alone.B次元官网网址�
In a statement issued Tuesday, the World Health Organization said it B次元官网网址渞egretsB次元官网网址� TrumpB次元官网网址檚 decision.
B次元官网网址淲e hope the United States will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the USA and WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe,B次元官网网址� it said.
TrumpB次元官网网址檚 executive order claimed the U.S. was cutting ties with WHO for reasons including alleged B次元官网网址渕ishandling of the COVID-19 pandemicB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址渦nfairly onerous payments.B次元官网网址�
Pai noted that the order comes as vaccine-preventable diseases are on the rise B次元官网网址� including increasing cases of measles in both the U.S. and Canada.
In addition to losing WHOB次元官网网址檚 leadership on vaccination, he also worries about the B次元官网网址渁nti-vaccine rhetoricB次元官网网址� from some of TrumpB次元官网网址檚 picks for appointees to leadership positions, Pai said, noting increased vaccination efforts are urgently needed.
B次元官网网址滻tB次元官网网址檚 actually pretty shocking for me, stunning for me, to see that in 2025 weB次元官网网址檙e dealing with measles in Canada or (the) U.S.,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淲e cannot go back in time to a period where kids were getting paralyzed with polio or dying of measles and whooping cough. We had come a long, long way and weB次元官网网址檙e now starting to slip back and thatB次元官网网址檚 very scary.B次元官网网址�
In an email to The Canadian Press, a spokesperson for the Public Health Agency of Canada said CanadaB次元官网网址檚 membership in the WHO B次元官网网址渁llows us to benefit from the availability of knowledge, resources and expertise from the global community.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淐anada will continue working to ensure that the WHO is an effective, accountable, inclusive and well-governed institution, while maintaining our sovereignty,B次元官网网址� Anna Maddison wrote.
