Trump Decides Public Health Isn't All That Important.
Donald Trump Signs Executive Order Pulling America Out Of The World Health Organization.
Continuing our trend of covering one Trump executive order each day, we are going to discuss his now second attempt at pulling America out of the World Health Organization (WHO).
What Is The WHO?
The World Health Organization is a specialized international agency within the United Nations (UN), that includes 194 countries. It was founded in 1948 and has since acted as the cornerstone to global health affairs.
Its successes include eradicating smallpox globally, reducing poliomyelitis (polio) by 99% since 1988, and greatly reducing the two main causes of blindness. While also helping to fight both communicable disease(COVID-19, Zika, HIV) and chronic diseases(Heart disease, Diabetes, Cancer).
The WHO has also helped pushed through major legislative changes pertaining to public health we’ve seen enacted domestically. Including the Alma-Ata declaration in 1978.
This not only established healthcare as a human right, but pushed countries to established a system of Primary Healthcare, something now fundamental in America. This system led to better health outcomes in countries that had it, especially for children and mothers.
The WHO was also pivotal in the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Something that established global restrictions on tobacco use for minors, designating smoking area’s in businesses, limited the power of tobacco lobbying, with awareness and education campaigns put out on a mass level.
It would take multiple articles, multiple hours reading to detail the endless achievements and successes of the WHO outside of the ones listed here. From battling tuberculous, to research on influenza and other diseases, the WHO has been instrumental in the decline of both communicable and chronic diseases we’ve seen globally the last few decades.
For roughly 6 billion dollars every two year schedule, the WHO is estimated to have saved at least 154 million lives the past 50 years. With CDC estimating vaccines save 4 million children each year, and immunization efforts could prevent a further 50 million deaths by 2030.
Why Trump’s Wrong
Donald Trump’s executive order is pretty straightforward. It pulls America out of the WHO and ends all funding we have going towards it while also reassigning employees we have with them. This could have detrimental effects for numerous reasons.
First off, while not a major voluntary contributor, America is one of the largest financial suppliers to the WHO just based off our GDP size. Pulling this funding could have huge effects on the efficiency of the research and initiatives we’ve seen lower disease rates globally.
The WHO operates as a sort of central data collection and monitoring station for the world. Reporting on outbreaks abroad, what is working and isn’t working, and setting guidelines appropriately.
This can not only hinder the Center For Disease Control And Prevention (CDC) domestically in the capacity that they rely on the WHO currently, but with downstream effects of poorer countries not getting as efficient guidelines leading to more diseases spreading that could then travel to neighboring countries and spread to America.
When and if they do, we also would be less efficient at responding to these outbreaks as the WHO is the first place we look to for evidence as to what is the right response. Which is why this travel-related introduction of diseases should not be ignored that we would see if the WHO is unable to prevent their transmission to the same effect in poorer countries.
Crucial agencies like The National Institute of Health (NIH), the CDC, and others rely on this for evidence and data before then enacting policy domestically on how to respond to outbreaks or potential outbreaks.
Given the US only gives around $100 million a year to the WHO, it seems more than worth the benefit of information we receive back.
This seems to be a senseless decision, motivated by the anti-vax, COVID denial wing of his base. With no justification medically or scientifically, and no replacement in mind. Where once again, the price of groceries was largely ignored.