U.S. Departure From WHO Leaves Void Which China Is Partly Filling

At the May annual meeting of the World Health Organization’s members in Geneva, Switzerland, officials and delegates spoke of the potential disruption that could be caused by the organization’s budget crisis. They expressed concerned about possible program cuts that could lead to substantial increases in burden of disease and deaths globally.

The biggest source of the financial difficulties is the United States, as under President Trump the country is pulling its long-standing funding from the WHO and other global health initiatives, including ones like the U.S. Agency for International Development which was established 64 years ago.

In Jan., Trump signed an executive order that begins the process of withdrawing the U.S. from the WHO. Terminating U.S. membership severely challenges the W