Washington: America has officially separated itself from the World Health Organization (WHO). On Thursday, the Trump administration announced that America’s membership has now completely ended. This happened exactly a year after President Donald Trump signed the order starting the process of exiting the WHO. According to the report of news agency Reuters, according to eyewitnesses, the American flag was removed from outside the WHO headquarters in Geneva on Thursday. This decision was announced jointly by the US Health Ministry and the Foreign Ministry. A senior health official said that WHO has deviated from its original purpose and has at times been working against the interests of America.

Why was America angry with WHO?

The government alleges that during the Covid pandemic, WHO did not declare a global emergency on time and unfairly criticized America’s initial decisions. The Trump administration says that when America banned travel from some countries, WHO raised questions on it. Apart from this, the government also said that America has been giving the most money to WHO, but still neither did America get equal status in the organization nor did any American ever become the Director General.

Is everyone in America happy with WHO leaving?

However, there has been a strong reaction to this decision within America itself. Public health experts say that leaving WHO could prove dangerous for America. According to ABC News report, Ronald Nahas, president of the Association of Infectious Disease Specialists, said that this decision is short-sighted and a step in the wrong direction. He said that diseases do not see boundaries. Global cooperation is the only way to keep citizens safe. Withdrawal from WHO will make it difficult for America to keep an eye on emerging diseases like Ebola and the flu that spreads every year. This will also affect whether America will be able to choose the right vaccine strain or not.

What is the experts’ warning to America?

Nahas clearly said that leaving WHO is scientifically negligent. This infection ignores the basic nature of diseases. Global cooperation is not a luxury, but a biological necessity. The government’s response is that America will maintain its role in global health. The Health Ministry said that more than two thousand of its employees are working in 63 countries and there are bilateral agreements with hundreds of countries. The government claims that alternative plans are ready for monitoring, investigation and pandemic response.

How does a country exit WHO?

According to United Nations rules, to exit WHO, it is necessary to give one year’s notice and pay the dues. America had given one year’s notice, but it still owed more than $270 million. The Trump administration says that under the constitution of WHO, America is not obliged to pay this amount. WHO has said that this decision of America will be discussed in the Executive Board meeting to be held in February and further action will be taken accordingly.