Pulling the plug: America’s WHO departure is a death sentence for global health

One of the WHO’s key tasks is coordinating global alert systems and data exchange when outbreaks of infection occur anywhere in the world. To prevent infections from spreading, danger spots must be identified as quickly as possible.

For example, the National Influenza Centers (GISRS) provide a continuous flow of information about these viruses and regulate the selection of strains for vaccines. It is precisely on the basis of GISRS data that the WHO twice a year issues recommendations on the strain composition of the seasonal vaccine (in February for the Northern Hemisphere and in September for the Southern Hemisphere). Centers within the network compare circulating variants of the virus, assess their antigenic and genetic similarity to candidate vaccine viruses, and select those expected to provide the closest match for the upcoming season.

In cases where an emergency has already occurred, the WHO deploys an Early Warning, Alert and Response System (EWARS) to the affected region. EWARS detects infections at an early stage, assists national services in combating disease, and transmits and structures epidemiological data from the regions. The system has demonstrated high effectiveness: since 2015, more than 100 million people have received assistance.

EWARS, for example, played a significant role during the 2017–2022 cholera outbreak in Yemen, one of the largest in modern history. Nearly one million people were infected, and despite conditions of destroyed infrastructure, the system made it possible to quickly identify clusters of the disease and direct resources to priority areas. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, during outbreaks of disease caused by the Ebola virus in 2018–2020, the system ensured the rapid transmission of field data and accelerated the response of mobile teams.

Another illustrative case is the Rohingya humanitarian crisis in Bangladesh, ongoing since 2017. There, EWARS has helped detect and contain outbreaks of measles, diphtheria, and acute diarrhea in overcrowded refugee camps.

Epidemiological surveillance requires constant investment in laboratory services in low-income countries. Global infectious disease alert systems depend on a network of national and regional laboratories that receive equipment, reagents, and training through WHO programs. At the same time, the Lancet Commission on diagnostics notes that 47% of the world’s population has limited or no access to diagnostic services.

With the U.S. departure, laboratory services will not be able to operate as effectively as before. Laboratories involved in epidemiological surveillance are facing disruptions in reagent supplies, reduced diagnostic coverage, and declining readiness of response services. This directly weakens the ability of health services to quickly detect and contain infectious disease outbreaks. In addition, the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO “reduces access to real-time disease surveillance systems, technical guidance, and early warning networks — resources that proved vital during COVID-19,” according to the country’s National Library of Medicine.