EDITORIAL: Trump’s executive orders are bad for global health
US to quit the WHO and there will be a 90-day pause on foreign aid
Within hours of his inauguration as the 47th US president, Donald Trump signed a slew of far-reaching executive orders that will be felt around the world. Two are particularly concerning for health. The first is his instruction to quit the World Health Organisation (https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/world/americas/2025-01-21-donald-trump-orders-us-exit-from-world-health-organisation/) (WHO), effecting a desire he first articulated during his previous term in office.
The US accounts for a fifth of the WHO’s $6.8bn budget so its withdrawal will severely curtail the organisation’s activities and undermine the crucial role it plays in supporting countries manage disease outbreaks. And it sounds the death knell for the WHO’s attempts to devise a global pandemic agreement. That spells bad news for low- and middle-income countries that lack the scientific and manufacturing capabilities to develop and produce their own tools to combat novel health threats...
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