White House Orders Immediate Halt to CDC Communications with WHO
The Trump White House on Jan. 27 ordered officials at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to immediately stop any communications with the World Health Organization (WHO). According to a breaking-news report by Mike Stobbe of the Associated Press, “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 agency 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 threats from around the world. It also comes as health authorities around the world are monitoring bird flu outbreaks among U.S. livestock,” he wrote.
Further, Stobbe reported, “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.”
The Nkengasong memo was issued exactly one week after President Donald Trump announced that he was working to pull the United States out of the World Health Organization. As we reported on Jan. 21, “On Jan. 20, during his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order announcing his intention to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization, citing the ‘organization’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, and other global health crises, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states.’”
On Jan. 21, we reported that, “In response, the organization posted a statement to its website, which began thus: ‘The World Health Organization regrets the announcement that the United States of America intends to withdraw from the Organization. WHO plays a crucial role in protecting the health and security of the world’s people, including Americans, by addressing the root causes of disease, building stronger health systems, and detecting, preventing and responding to health emergencies, including disease outbreaks, often in dangerous places where others cannot go. The United States was a founding member of WHO in 1948 and has participated in shaping and governing WHO’s work ever since, alongside 193 other Member States, including through its active participation in the World Health Assembly and Executive Board. For over seven decades, WHO and the USA have saved countless lives and protected Americans and all people from health threats. Together, we ended smallpox, and together we have brought polio to the brink of eradication. American institutions have contributed to and benefited from membership of WHO.’”
This is a developing story. Healthcare Innovation will update readers on new developments as they emerge.