Title: WHO is right: On the U.S. leaving the World Health Organization
President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO), based on charges of bias, is stunningly short sighted, and deeply concerning to the global health community. Pundits are predicting that this move, if not withdrawn, or reconsidered, may well unleash the butterfly effect — a cascading set of unpredictable consequences arising from even the smallest of changes in a system. Soon after his inauguration, Mr. Trump wasted no time in announcing the beginning of the process of ending the U.S.’s membership of WHO. In language that smacked of petulance, Mr. Trump, as he signed his first batch of executive orders, declared: “The World Health [Organization] ripped us off.” The U.S. will now leave the United Nations health agency in 12 months’ time and stop all financial contributions to its work. He accused the organisation of mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic, and of being partisan towards China, though the U.S. contributed more to its coffers. The move has not been entirely unexpected: during his previous term as U.S. President, he relentlessly criticised WHO for acting slow and being “owned and controlled by China”; in 2020 he initiated a move to halt funding to WHO, though it was scuppered as his term came to an end.
Why is the withdrawal of the U.S. significant? For starters, Mr. Trump is right — the U.S., which is a founding member of WHO, is also its biggest financial backer, contributing around 18% of its overall funding. Withdrawal of these funds will seriously impact health programmes being implemented across the world, including interventions for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and the eradication of certain infectious diseases. WHO is also involved in ensuring equity of access to life-saving drugs for people across the world, building stronger health systems, detecting and preventing disease outbreaks. If Mr. Trump could set his petulance aside, it would be clear that global health does not operate in silos, and neither a stern countenance nor physical boundaries can keep pathogens out of one’s own geography. If any lessons have been learned at all from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is that no one is safe until everyone is safe, and that collaboration among nations, and open sharing of data and technology are essential to tackle pandemics. WHO has reached out to the U.S., hoping that it will reconsider its decision and engage once again with it. As fantastic as it may sound, medicine is no stranger to miracles of science, and the health community hopes one more will restore the U.S. back to WHO’s fold.
Meaning of the word:
| Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms |
| Stunningly | Stunningly means in a way that is extremely impressive, beautiful, or surprising, often to the point of awe or amazement. | Amazingly Incredibly Beautifully Remarkably | Ordinarily Unimpressively Plainly Dully |
| Unleash | Unleash means to release something that has been held back, restrained, or controlled, allowing it to be expressed or acted upon freely. It often implies a sudden or powerful release of energy, emotions, or forces. | Release Let loose Liberate Unchain | Restrain Suppress Confine Hold back |
| Petulance | Petulance refers to a quality of being easily irritated, annoyed, or showing childish sulkiness, especially over trivial matters. | Irritability Peevishness Sulkiness Crankiness | Patience Tolerance Calmness Composure |
