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The Trump Admin has frozen funds to @WHO & is ramping up threats, including a latest, vague demand to met within 30 days. “This proposal is like removing the windows while the plane is midair” says @RebeccaKatz5. Here's the story & a thread https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01586-0
Trump's ransom letter contained falsehoods that @richardhorton1 @TheLancet & others debunked. It's worth mentioning that blame does well w/his base. After Trump attacked the WHO, its approval rating sunk from 80% to 50%, while his approval ratings rose. https://morningconsult.com/2020/04/21/trump-attacks-who-china-coronavirus/
. @DrTedros has reiterated his commitment to an independent review, but as for dropping some 34 other urgent tasks to be handled amid the pandemic in order to meet this ultimatum, he says “Right now, the most important thing is fighting the fire, saving lives.”
So what happens? The WHO is short on money for polio, malaria, measles and 29 emergency operations, not including COVID-19. The US gives ~$450m/year, which is 15% of WHO's budget.
Proposals for new global health & pandemic preparedness outfits are floating around at the US government. But researchers say parallel systems will be sloppy. “We’d see a lot more incoherence in global health” says @glassmanamanda
More than money, researchers told me they'd be upset about a loss of collaboration. WHO is a conduit for intel. “The US relies on multinationals to work in countries where diplomatic ties are almost non-existent,” says @SuerieMoon. It's exactly what's needed most in a pandemic.
The irony is that by sidelining the WHO, the US will lose power at the agency, and power in the world because aid is a soft power. That's exactly the opposite of Trump's request for a WHO that serves American interests. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01586-0
