Q&A
Impact of U.S. withdrawal from WHO on global disease outbreak surveillance
0:37:17
ยท
144 sec
Dr. Michelle Morse explains the potential consequences of the United States withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO) on global disease outbreak surveillance and public health information sharing.
- WHO plays a crucial role in global data monitoring and outbreak awareness
- U.S. withdrawal may limit access to important global health data and guidance
- Communication between the CDC and WHO has already ceased
- WHO serves as a safety net for countries with limited public health infrastructure
- DOHMH is exploring alternative ways to access necessary information to protect New Yorkers
Lynn Schulman
0:37:17
And so please describe how The United States withdrawal from the World Health Organization could impact global disease outbreak surveillance.
Dr. Michelle Morse
0:37:26
This is a really important question.
0:37:28
I personally had experiences working with the World Health Organization when I lived and worked in Haiti and Rwanda and Liberia and several other countries.
0:37:39
I saw the importance of the World Health Organization's presence, both their staff as well as the guidance that they offer.
0:37:48
They also of course do much data monitoring and allow the world to be aware of emerging public health threats.
0:37:57
So that impact of the World Health Organization and them having the funding they need to do those activities is incredibly important.
0:38:05
It helps to prevent outbreaks.
0:38:07
And so I would say that it's concerning to not be a part of that body any longer.
0:38:13
It puts our information and data sharing at risk unfortunately.
0:38:18
It also means that we don't have access to as much information as we normally would have.
0:38:23
And I will also say the World Health Organization kind of serves as a safety net health department in many ways to countries all around the world that might not have their own public health infrastructure or as much public health infrastructure as other places have.
0:38:38
So those functions are critically important.
0:38:42
I am concerned that we may not have access to the data and guidance that comes from the World Health Organization.
0:38:50
And my understanding is that communication between the CDC and the WHO has already ceased unfortunately, and people within the CDC who were assigned to partner with the WHO are no longer allowed to conduct those activities of coordination.
0:39:09
So the impact of the planned withdrawal of The United States from the World Health United is unfortunately already being felt.
0:39:18
Now we also have to continue to find ways to get the information we need to protect New Yorkers and continue to find ways to make sure that information is shared.
0:39:29
So we're exploring options for how we might be able to do that and again remain concerned that our country is no longer a part of this very important global public health body.