April 7 marks the 77th anniversary of the World Health Organization (WHO), which has saved millions of lives worldwide. The WHO was founded as a specialized agency of the United Nations during a time when there was growing awareness of the plight of developing nations from the devastating impact of diseases around the globe. Malaria, yellow fever, typhus, and tuberculosis ravaged U.S. troops during World War I, and had a significant impact during the Second World War. Global action was needed to help improve inadequate healthcare systems and stem epidemics here and abroad.
With 194 member countries, the WHO helps shape global health policies and coordinates international responses to disease. The WHO has enabled access to healthcare in even remote regions, thereby preventing illness and needless suffering. Sadly, political support of the WHO by the U.S. government has waned. This endangers the world and endangers us. As any health professional knows, disease does not respect national borders.
The achievements of the WHO during its 77 years are many and impressive. Polio cases declined by 99 percent. Deaths due to malaria declined. Tuberculosis, the world’s most common fatal infectious disease, was being managed, and the terrifying risk of untreatable mutations mitigated. Ebola was isolated. The potential for worldwide spread of Zika virus was addressed. HIV/AIDS, which afflicts a third of some countries’ population, was turned into a chronic rather than fatal illness for many; WHO prevention programs reduced the spread of the illness among heterosexual individuals, who worldwide are the most common group afflicted. WHO sponsored antismoking campaigns, and enabled communities to have clean water, without which cholera runs rampant. The list of accomplishments is long. However, the current list of health risks to be addressed is longer. Millions of lives are at stake.
Member governments support the WHO through contributions based on ability to pay. In its current budget cycle, China’s expected contribution to the WHO is $175 million, Japan’s $147 million, and Britain’s $50 million. The U.S. is the richest nation in the world. Our gross domestic product is almost twice that of the second biggest nation, China, which has a population four times as large as our own. The total budget for WHO is $6.8 billion. The U.S. contribution this year would have been $220 million, or 15 percent of the total WHO budget. To put this in context, the total budget of the U.S. in 2024 was $6,800 billion (i.e., $6.8 trillion). The U.S. Defense Department budget alone was $817 billion in 2023. So the U.S. contribution to the WHO would have been exceedingly small compared with other U.S. expenditures –– about 3 hundredths of a percent (0.03%) of the U.S. budget. We know that disease and poor social conditions exacerbate conflicts and greatly magnify the suffering that comes from them. Investments in health are investments in peace.
On Jan. 20, President Trump signed Executive Order 14155, directing the U.S. to withdraw from the WHO. This decision was based on criticisms of the WHO’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and allegations of political interference. During the pandemic, WHO led global efforts to coordinate research, provide guidance on public health measures, and distribute vaccines. Although the WHO faced challenges and met criticism because of response delays, its efforts improved its capacity to respond to global health threats. Our country’s withdrawal from WHO has now created a funding shortage and program disruptions that undermine past progress and threaten future global health.
WHO’s member countries place great faith in its ability to better the lives of people across the world, trust based on WHO’s longstanding achievements and high degree of accountability. Subject to regular internal and external audits which verify proper use of funds, WHO diligently complies with U.N. regulations in order to fulfill its mission. Member countries recognize that we need WHO now more than ever because:
- Our changing climate is expanding the range of disease-carrying mosquitoes;
- Extreme weather events contribute to the spread of waterborne diseases like cholera and leptospirosis;
- Growing density in already populated cities increases the possibility of rapid transmission of diseases, especially airborne viruses like COVID-19 and tuberculosis;
- An increase in air travel allows diseases to spread quickly across continents, as seen with COVID-19 and Mpox (monkeypox);
- Overuse of antibiotics has led to drug-resistant infections –– the WHO warns that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) may result in 10 million deaths per year in the coming decades if not addressed;
- A resurgence in previously controlled diseases like measles and polio is occurring because of vaccine hesitancy and gaps in vaccination programs;
- A growing demand for meat products and deforestation are undermining ecosystems, leading to zoonotic (of animal origin) diseases, such as ebola, avian flu, and coronaviruses.
Without funding, the WHO’s work is in danger. As a result, we are all at risk. What can you do? Know the facts, not the propaganda. Share the facts with others. And call your representatives and ask them to support the WHO.
