In brief
Health officials express concern over potential ramifications of reduced international oversight.
In a striking move, President Trump's decision for the U.S. to exit the World Health Organization (WHO) has raised alarms among health experts regarding the safety of smallpox virus management. This exit threatens not only the precautions that prevent the virus from leaking but also disrupts vital research programs to develop countermeasures against the disease, which historically claimed around 500 million lives.Health officials, including Thomas R. Frieden, a former director of the CDC, emphasize the need for transparency and inspection to avoid misunderstanding about the virus's security. Lack of WHO oversight may raise fears of potential weaponization of the smallpox virus, prompting concerns among both allies and adversaries. Decades ago, the WHO achieved a major victory by eradicating smallpox from the human population. However, two global repositories, one in the U.S. and another in Russia, still hold samples for study, stored under stringent safety measures. Now, experts worry that Trump's decision could endanger decades of collaborative efforts to secure this deadly pathogen, complicating the global public health landscape.
