McKee believes the loss of funding will also impact polio eradication efforts and efforts to control polio outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Burundi. Hundreds of cases continue to be reported each week in these areas. He noted that the virus “has the potential to spread, including in the United States.”
Moss is concerned about the possibility of developing a vaccine-preventable disease. Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is a prominent anti-vaccination advocate, and Morse is concerned about potential changes to vaccination-based health policy in the United States. This, combined with a weakening of the WHO’s ability to control the outbreak, could be a “double whammy” leading to an outbreak in the United States, he said. “We are preparing for a major measles outbreak in the United States,” he says.
At the same time, the United States faces another threat to public health: the spread of avian influenza on poultry and dairy farms. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been outbreaks of the H5N1 virus on poultry farms in 51 states in the United States, and the virus has been detected in 928 dairy cattle across 16 states. In the United States, 67 human cases have been reported, with one death. There is no evidence yet that the virus can spread from person to person, but the United States and other countries are already preparing for a potential outbreak.
However, this preparation depends on a thorough and clear understanding of what is happening on the ground. WHO plays an important role in information sharing. Countries report early signs of outbreaks to WHO, which then shares that information with its members. This kind of information will allow countries to develop strategies to limit the spread of the disease, as well as share the virus’ genetic sequence and develop a vaccine. Member countries need to know what is happening in the United States, and the United States needs to know what is happening globally. “This will disrupt both channels of communication,” Moss says.
As if all of this wasn’t enough, the United States will also suffer in terms of its reputation as a leader in global public health. “By telling the world, ‘We don’t care about your health,’ you’re sending a message that has the potential to have a negative impact,” McKee says. “This is a classic lose-lose situation,” he adds.
“This will harm global health,” Moss said. “It will come back to bite us.”
