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People working in the World Health Organization expected the worst – but Donald Trump executive order He still landed like a blow.
“The mood here is quite gloomy and quite gloomy,” said Dr. Madhukar Pai, who happened to work from WHO at the headquarters in Geneva, when the US President signed an executive order withdrawing America from the Global Health Agency.
The United States is Departure WHO says the UN in January 2026 because he must present an annual notification before withdrawal. The United States is by far the largest financial supporter of WHO, bringing 18 percent of its overall financing, which is about $ 1.2 billion for the latest two -year agency budget for 2024–25.
It's a bad time. Pai, who is chairing the Global and Public Department at the McGill University, says that there is so much to do to reduce the spread of infectious diseases around the world.
Ptana Grypa-in particular H5N1-It can only be one mutation than a larger transmission among people, according to the reviewed study Published in science in December. Currently there is an explosion of Marburg's fatal virus in Tanzaniaafter a mortal Explosion in Rwanda In autumn 2024 Several MPOX explosions In many African countries and it is possible to spread outside the continent.
Pai is worried that it weakens who can be catastrophic, not only for Americans, but for the whole world.
This, he says, should apply to Canadians.
“What happened in Wuhan came to Canada. What happened elsewhere will come to Canada. “
It is a fear that other public health experts and infectious diseases are shared, who are worried that movement can also withdraw progress in the fight against diseases such as polio and malaria. Zimbabwe is worried This movement will hurt HIV/AIDS help programs in the country and in other African nations, given that withdrawing from the one who can signal the US can limit foreign help – something on which these programs base. AND Germany said On Tuesday, he would try to convince the USA to reconsider WHO.
“50% chance” for Covid pandemic until 2050.
Every day estimated 400,000 people cross the Canadian border, the largest land border in the world. About 800,000 Canada citizens live in the United States. All this means that the threat to an infectious disease can be even more pressing to Canadians.
Dr. Peter Singer, who was a special adviser to the general director of WHO in 2017-2023, claims that the decision will make the Americans less healthy – and this will also affect Canadians.
“If our biggest and best neighbor is not a WHO member, it makes the world, the United States and Canada less safe before the pandems, such as the one we have just passed,” said Singer, who is also a retired professor at the University of Toronto.
“Experts estimate that it exists 50 % chance That from now on to 2050 there is a Covid pandemic. We have to prepare for it. “
WHO cooperates with Member States to detect, monitor and manage public health hazards. This is a forum where countries divide things such as virus samples and gene sequences. Leaving the health agency, the US may now have dead fields, says Dr. Prabhat Jha, a professor of global health at the University of Toronto.
“Other countries, in the future pandemic, can actually respond to the withdrawal of the US, saying:” Well, we will not provide this US information. “
“It then spills into Canadian threats,” said Jha.
Pai puts it directly.
“If the US suffers in the future, we will suffer with the USA”
H5N1 and flu shots
Scientific cooperation is necessary to fight both pandemic and routine diseases-and it can be threatened if the US is withdrawing from WHO, says Jha.
One example: annual flu.
“The flu guard is a product of the WHO 80 laboratories around the world, which divide the necessary information about the virus and help in designing this year's flu shot. And this is really threatened, “says Jha.
Sharing information also helps governments prepare for possible challenges, such as the spread of bird flu. This free flow of information can also be threatened, says Devon Greyson, professor at the University of British Columbia's School of Population and Public Health.
“If we do not know what is happening at the southern end of our bird migration patterns, for example, it is a little more difficult to prepare here.”
“Things like H5N1 do not respect boundaries,” said Greyson.
“Building” a call to the world
But Jha sees a silver lining in all this.
“This is awakening for the world, for other countries-in this Canada-to really think about what is needed for joint health action.”
He says that the Canadian government is a chance to speed up and fill the leader gap with the US departure on the horizon.
Pai divides this hope. He says that Canada is already a world leader in the field of reproductive health, mental health and human rights.
“I think this is a really great opportunity for Canada to show leadership at global level,” he said.
The singer also says that she sees the result in which anyone and the US can reach an agreement.
“The best result is that who and the US could sit together, get involved, listen to the fears and both will come out strong,” he said.
“Good management”
And if the USA leaves WHO finally, Singer claims that this may be a clear warning for Canada – he must take unilateral actions to strengthen the pandemic readiness of the country.
“This is a signal for the Canadian government and governments around the world to strengthen your own public health reaction and prepare for a weakened who,” says Singer.
Greyson agrees.
“We can make sure that our systems are stable, that we have structures that will maintain finance things that will maintain action,” said Greyson.
“This is a kind of good management … proud of Canada.
“Peace, order and good governments”, after all, is a Canadian response to life, freedom and pursuit of happiness. “