The US’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) could hinder the country’s response to a possible hantavirus outbreak, NBC News reported, citing health officials.
Health experts say that with the US out of the organization, it might not have immediate access to surveillance data on the virus and contact tracing information for cases linked to the cruise ship that carried the first reported cases of the deadly virus.
This type of tracking could help prevent further infections, according to the report.
With Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) experts no longer part of the teams sequencing the virus, the US might have to learn about results secondhand, Professor of Global Health and Epidemiology at George Mason University Amir Albert Roess warned.
Trump administration ‘working closely to mitigate risk’ of hantavirus
According to the CDC website, the State Department has been in direct contact with passengers on the cruise ship, and the government is “working closely with our international partners to provide technical assistance and guidance to mitigate risk.”
The organization clarified that the risk to the American public was extremely low at the time.
US President Donald Trump told reporters on Thursday he had been briefed on the hantavirus and expressed hope that it was under control.
“It’s very much, we hope, under control,” Trump said.
When asked whether Americans should be concerned about any spread of the virus, Trump replied: “I hope not.” He added that a report on the virus was expected on Friday.
NBC said that WHO officials are exchanging information with the US under international health regulations requiring countries to report public health threats of “international concern.”
Anaïs Legand, the WHO’s technical lead for viral hemorrhagic fevers, said that the organization has “very positive, regular interaction almost every single day” with the US, according to NBC.
However, the coordinator for global health security during the Biden administration, Stephanie Psaki, said the US often received advance updates on disease outbreaks, the report said.
“By the time the information is shared publicly… the experts at WHO and CDC often already knew it for days or weeks,” Psaki said.
The US formally left the WHO in January after 78 years as a member.
Trump announced the US’s departure from the WHO shortly after he took office last year, citing mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the report.
The US transitioned from being one of the organization’s top donors to terminating all funding to the WHO, pulling staffers from its offices, and severing participation in its committees and working groups.
Experts also worry that the WHO can’t draw on the CDC’s resources and expertise to respond to the outbreak, NBC said.
Responses to global threats are more effective when the US government is involved, Psaki said, even when many actors with the capacity and willingness to contain the threat are involved.
Evacuations from the ship carrying passengers infected with the virus could begin as early as Monday, with 150 passengers still on board.
Reuters contributed to this report.
