Staff at the World Health Organization are 香蕉视频直播渄evastated香蕉视频直播� by President Donald Trump香蕉视频直播檚 executive order to pull the U.S. out of the agency, a Canadian global health specialist says.
Dr. Madhukar Pai, the Canada Research Chair in Epidemiology and Global Health, is at the WHO headquarters in Geneva this week for meetings about tuberculosis and was there at the time Trump signed the order Monday.
香蕉视频直播淓verything went crazy,香蕉视频直播� said Pai, who is also a global health professor at McGill University in Montreal, in an interview from Geneva on Tuesday.
香蕉视频直播滶verybody here is absolutely stressed, devastated, and literally freaking out because some of their programs at WHO are extremely reliant on U.S. government funding,香蕉视频直播� he said.
香蕉视频直播淭hey香蕉视频直播檙e not even sure how to keep the lights on, keep their staff working, keep the programs going, so it香蕉视频直播檚 a pretty massive crisis.香蕉视频直播�
Losing the large amount of funding the U.S. provides the WHO 香蕉视频直播� about 18 per cent of its budget in 2023, according to the agency 香蕉视频直播� is a threat to public health, Pai said.
香蕉视频直播漈here are wide-ranging impacts, I would say, to all countries, not just Canada,香蕉视频直播� he said.
But Canada香蕉视频直播檚 geographic proximity puts it at additional risk if its southern neighbour fails to respond appropriately to public health threats, Pai said.
香蕉视频直播淚 think we香蕉视频直播檒l be hit, for example, if there is a new outbreak and (the) U.S. is simply not engaged with WHO or the global response. And if that outbreak spreads within the U.S. 香蕉视频直播� I think Canada will be the first one to be impacted given the movement of population between our two countries, trade and our fairly open borders.香蕉视频直播�
One current threat is H5N1 avian flu 香蕉视频直播� a highly pathogenic strain of influenza that has wiped out poultry farms in both Canada and the U.S., he said. Although the illness has primarily infected U.S. farm workers with mild symptoms, one senior who was exposed to a backyard flock in Louisiana died of the virus earlier this month.
Canada has had one confirmed human case of H5N1 香蕉视频直播攁 teenage girl in B.C. who became severely ill and was hospitalized.
Pai is calling on the Canadian government 香蕉视频直播� along with other G7 countries 香蕉视频直播� to 香蕉视频直播渟tep up香蕉视频直播� and help fill the funding void that will be left by the U.S., both through financial contributions to the WHO as well as by taking a leadership role in global health.
But he noted Canada香蕉视频直播檚 own political turmoil 香蕉视频直播� including the Liberal leadership race to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Trump香蕉视频直播檚 threat to slap punishing tariffs on the country 香蕉视频直播� could make that unlikely.
香蕉视频直播淥ur leaders are probably more worried about the tariffs than they are worried about anything else at this stage,香蕉视频直播� Pai said.
Dr. Prabhat Jha, founding director of the Centre for Global Health Research at Unity Health Toronto, said he would also like to see the Canadian government increase support for the WHO.
But he said the country that will hurt the most from Trump香蕉视频直播檚 withdrawal is the U.S. itself.
香蕉视频直播滱 lot of it is symbolism 香蕉视频直播� Trump basically, you know, giving the middle finger to the world,香蕉视频直播� Jha said in an interview from Sierra Leone on Tuesday.
香蕉视频直播淚n the end, it香蕉视频直播檚 going to hurt Americans because they lose the (health) intelligence, they lose the access to the global networks if there香蕉视频直播檚 another pandemic,香蕉视频直播� he said.
香蕉视频直播�(The WHO) won香蕉视频直播檛 share the information as easily with the U.S. as they would otherwise.香蕉视频直播�
A bigger concern, Jha said, is the message the U.S. pullout 香蕉视频直播渟ends about nationalism.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播�(It says) basically that you don香蕉视频直播檛 need to have global co-operation on disease, which is absolutely stupid and completely self defeating.香蕉视频直播�
Jha said the 香蕉视频直播渟ilver lining香蕉视频直播� of Trump香蕉视频直播檚 move is that it could spark 香蕉视频直播渞eform香蕉视频直播� to make the WHO less dependent on the U.S.
香蕉视频直播淚t means the world has to co-operate more, even if America goes it alone.香蕉视频直播�
In a statement issued Tuesday, the World Health Organization said it 香蕉视频直播渞egrets香蕉视频直播� Trump香蕉视频直播檚 decision.
香蕉视频直播淲e hope the United States will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the USA and WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe,香蕉视频直播� it said.
Trump香蕉视频直播檚 executive order claimed the U.S. was cutting ties with WHO for reasons including alleged 香蕉视频直播渕ishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic香蕉视频直播� and 香蕉视频直播渦nfairly onerous payments.香蕉视频直播�
Pai noted that the order comes as vaccine-preventable diseases are on the rise 香蕉视频直播� including increasing cases of measles in both the U.S. and Canada.
In addition to losing WHO香蕉视频直播檚 leadership on vaccination, he also worries about the 香蕉视频直播渁nti-vaccine rhetoric香蕉视频直播� from some of Trump香蕉视频直播檚 picks for appointees to leadership positions, Pai said, noting increased vaccination efforts are urgently needed.
香蕉视频直播滻t香蕉视频直播檚 actually pretty shocking for me, stunning for me, to see that in 2025 we香蕉视频直播檙e dealing with measles in Canada or (the) U.S.,香蕉视频直播� he said.
香蕉视频直播淲e cannot go back in time to a period where kids were getting paralyzed with polio or dying of measles and whooping cough. We had come a long, long way and we香蕉视频直播檙e now starting to slip back and that香蕉视频直播檚 very scary.香蕉视频直播�
In an email to The Canadian Press, a spokesperson for the Public Health Agency of Canada said Canada香蕉视频直播檚 membership in the WHO 香蕉视频直播渁llows us to benefit from the availability of knowledge, resources and expertise from the global community.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淐anada will continue working to ensure that the WHO is an effective, accountable, inclusive and well-governed institution, while maintaining our sovereignty,香蕉视频直播� Anna Maddison wrote.
