ADEKEYE ADEBAJO: Donald Trump’s decision to cut WHO funding puts global health at risk
Cuts by the US will affect the World Health Organisation’s ability to combat the coronavirus, HIV/Aids, Ebola and cancer
US President Donald Trump’s suspension of his country’s annual $400m contribution to the UN’s Geneva-based World Health Organisation (WHO) — about 15% of the total budget — in the middle of a global pandemic that has already infected 2.3-million people and killed about 161,000, was as recklessly outrageous as it was utterly predictable. Trump’s action was akin to a pyromaniac fireman pouring petrol on a giant inferno.
By cutting US funding, not only will the country with the largest number of deaths from the pandemic (about 39,000 on Sunday) as well as the highest cases (about 735,000) not have access to the WHO’s expertise at this critical juncture, but these cuts will also negatively affect the organisation’s ability to combat other diseases such as HIV/Aids, Ebola and cancer...
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