Opinion | Trumps Withdrawal From the W.H.O. Will Be Disastrous for Global Health
The United States has long been a leader in global health, and it is critical to the safety of Americans that we remain so — which is why some of President Trump’s isolationist impulses are worrisome.On Monday, hours after taking office, Mr.Trump signed an executive order announcing the United States will move to withdraw from the World Health Organization (something he tried to do during his first term, before Joe Biden reversed the decision as president).
His plans to impose massive tariffs on goods imported into the country could be devastating to the manufacturing of medicines within our borders, given that many of the necessary ingredients come from abroad, including an estimated 60 percent from India and China, according to one analysis.Americans’ health is at stake.Border walls and protectionist policies can’t stop infectious diseases from entering the country.
Only with vigilant international monitoring of infections, containment of outbreaks and eventual eradication of infectious diseases around the world can Americans ever be protected and secure.We must prioritize sharing vaccines with other countries, training medical providers to offer care abroad, collaborating on clinical trials and research studies with other institutions and constant factual information-sharing about outbreaks and health trends throughout the world.
And the United States must continue to lead the way.Many regard America’s global health work as smart diplomacy.Even the most hostile countries welcome our medical expertise and support, because health security is essential to international security and to every country’s economy.
The first Trump administration tempered active engagement in global health security initiatives shortly after coming into office.That left us far less capable of mounting a timely and robust response to the global outbreak of Covid-19, devastating the world’s economy and exacerbating conflicts around the world.Since the end of World War II, t...