Health director says US exit from WHO will hurt Illinois’ public health

The director of the IDPH speaks out about how the exit from the WHO will harm Illinois public health.
Pres. Trump seeks to leave the organization for the second time.
The U.S. is and has been the largest funder of the global health agency and has influenced its direction since its founding in 1948.

The U.S. is pulling the plug on its membership with the World Health Organization.

What does that mean for Illinois, and why does it matter?

The head of the Illinois Department of Public Health believes the decision will harm the state’s public health. Here’s more of what he said in a letter to colleagues last month.

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Illinois DPH speaks out

Dr. Sameer Vohra, who is Director of IDPH, made a statement about President Donald Trump’s executive order to leave the organization and it would mean for the Illinois IDPH.

Vohra also noted that the Trump administration instructed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop communicating with WHO. Vohra said he felt it was important to share how the decision would harm the state’s public health.

The U.S. may lose internal access to WHO’s global surveillance system, which provides the U.S., including Illinois, with early warnings of outbreaks by monitoring disease activity in more than 150 countries, Vohra said. “Without access to this network, Illinois could lose critical time detecting threats like new COVID-19 variants, Ebola, avian influenza, and more,” he wrote.
Illinois may become less able to monitor new or emerging diseases entering the state, Vohra stated. “Chicago is home to O’Hare International Airport, the second busiest airport in the United States and a primary point of entry for international travelers. Public health teams at O’Hare, including those from the CDC, the Chicago Department of Public Health, and IDPH, could face incomplete data on infectious travelers, inconsistent health screenings, and greater risk of disease spread through one of the nation’s key transit hubs.”
Vohra added that Illinois will now need to explore alternate tools and resources to understand and address global crises, obtain data, and quickly identify emerging threats in the absence of any confidential information provided by the WHO.
WHO also plays a “critical role in identifying the right components of both our annual flu vaccine and other emerging disease threats.”

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What is the WHO?

The U.S. is and has historically been the largest funder of the global health agency headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. WHO, part of the United Nations, is tasked with preparing for and fighting health emergencies. The U.S. has influenced the agency since its founding after World War II.

Why is the U.S. leaving WHO?

President Trump criticized the WHO for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, even as his administration faced scrutiny for being slow to respond to the crisis, according to USA Today. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, then-President Trump began the process of pulling out from WHO.

More:Argentina President Javier Milei pulls out of World Health Organization, following Trump

So, the U.S. tried to leave WHO once before?

The Trump administration previously failed to leave the organization under U.S. law governing the timeline for withdrawal and funding obligations to the agency. Former President Joe Biden reversed Trump’s decision after taking office and restored funding to WHO.

What else did IDPH say?

Dr. Vohra said in the Jan. 31 letter that IDPH plans to meet with a coalition of global health experts in Illinois to “determine how to maximize our resources to protect the public health of Illinois residents.”

In addition to using existing data systems to track health issues, the department will explore other tools to monitor global outbreaks and mitigate related threats in Illinois.

Tom Ackerman covers breaking news and trending news along with general news for the Springfield State Journal-Register. He can be reached at [email protected].

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