WHO is Not the Cause of COVID-19 Nor the Enemy. We Need It More than Ever for the Next Pandemic

By Richard Seifman, Independent Health Policy Consultant and UNA-NCA Board Member

It is unfortunate that your newspaper-in editorials and opinion pieces- has chosen this time of national crisis to point out what you perceive as political behavior by the global technical agency that struggles to deal with infectious diseases in an increasingly polarization world, with a Governing Board that brings their displeasure without bringing the resources to allow it to measure up to the challenge. Exhibit A: Forbes on April 8th points out that the Trump Administration’s most recent budget requested a reduction in the World Health Organization (WHO) U.S. assessed financial contributions from $122.6 million to an assessed contribution of $57.9 million. This is more than 50% and before significant recognition of the covid19 threat across the country.

As to when the COVID-19 became a worldwide problem, it is worth remembering that it was less than 100 days when WHO was notified by the People’s Republic of China, a sovereign member State, of a new virus strain that posed a public health threat of international concern. Also, worth recalling, in July 2019, well before any evidence of COVID-19 had emerged, the U.S. Administration ended the work of a key CDC medical epidemiologist embedded in China’s CDC. U.S. CDC cooperation with China’s CDC had existed for 30 years (Dr. Anne Schuchat, former acting CDC head and currently CDC Principal Deputy Director, worked in China on the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak). Given this history, one can only imagine the difference that U.S. CDC epidemiologist on the ground in December 2019 might have made.

While I hold no brief for China’s failing to alert sooner and be more transparent about the outbreak, keep in mind it was not that long ago U.S. leadership thought it was a minor distraction from our robust economy, and to this day our debate continues over mandatory regulations regarding masks and social distancing. Nor am I suggesting that WHO could not benefit from further reforms. In what will be the post- COVID-19 era, WHO’s governing body, the World Health Assembly, as a priority, should review member State infectious disease early reporting requirements and consider more stringent obligatory rules when the Director General must declare a “public health emergency of international concern” or pandemic. This will require cooperation and concerted effort by Member States.

We know this can be done: One need only look at the response to the West Africa Ebola outbreak in 2014-2016 in contrast to the 2019 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. WHO emergency teams were quick to risk their health and lives and stay the course. WHO was on the ground administering new Ebola vaccines and treatment under very challenging circumstances, and applying new technologies such as “the Cube” to better protect frontline health workers, and making effective use of information management techniques. WHO's coordination with-- yes, the U.S. and China—will mean this Ebola outbreak will likely end in the very near future. Compare that to U.S. panic and economic costs when very few came home from abroad with Ebola in 2014-2016, versus now?

Vice President Pence often says, "we are all in this together". He is right; but he needs to think beyond our borders. Next time when your child does not have smallpox, or polio, or is not suffering from nutritional deficiencies, know it is significantly due to the worldwide work of WHO. Improvements yes, but let’s not throw this institution out as technically weak and politically driven. There is no doubt there will be another infectious outbreak, but no one knows where or when. This is a special moment for the U.S. to lead by rising above partisan or anti- globalist sentiments and put U.S. money, technical expertise and support behind an improved WHO--so that we all do better next time.