QCOSTARICA — On his first day back on the job, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO), effective January 20, 2025.
According to the US president, the decision is in response to “the poor management of the COVID-19 pandemic that emerged from Wuhan, China, and other global health crises, and its inability to adopt urgently needed reforms.”
Crhoy.com reports that this is a situation that could cause an increase in the price of medicines in Costa Rica and in the Central American region, according to experts speaking to digital media.
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WHO data reveals that the United States was the main donor and partner during the 2022-2023 period, where they financed US$1.284 billion.
The budget provided by the United States was used in voluntary contributions and contingency funds for emergencies, in countries in Africa, Europe, America, and Southeast Asia.
The top 10 donors to the WHO in the same period are:
- Germany: US$856 million
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: US$830 million
- Vaccine Alliance: US$481 million
- European Commission: US$468 million
- United Kingdom: US$396 million
- Canada: US$204 million
- Rotary International: US$177 million
- Japan: US$167 million
- France: US$161 million
The World Health Organization (WHO) regretted Trump’s decision and hopes he will reconsider his position.
What effects could this departure have?
Dr. Juan José Romero, from the Universidad Nacional (UNA), explained that this decision “is not a surprise.”
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The epidemiologist believes that this order “will have repercussions on the external and internal aspects of that country,” since they not only provide collaboration on economic issues, but also support with infrastructure, special equipment and research centers.
“The impact is very large,” he said.
For Romero, this ruling “is an indicator of what could come within that country in how health is going to be treated.”
For her part, Dr. María Luisa Ávila, Costa Rica’s former Minister of Health and infectious disease specialist, said that there could be effects on global coordination in the face of an infectious disease that leads to a pandemic.
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In addition, she thinks that the US could face disinformation campaigns from the Department of Health and Human Services.
Ávila revealed that Costa Rica could face some problems after the US abandonment, in areas such as the purchase of vaccines or medications for immunological diseases.
Because these types of medicines are usually acquired through strategic funds, with which, with economies of scale, they are usually cheaper for countries that need them.
Dr Ávila explained that other areas that could be affected are diagnostic tests or regional projects, such as tuberculosis control, infant mortality or maternal mortality.
The infectious disease specialist warns that another situation to consider is a possible wave of migration, in case the United States carries out the mass deportation that Trump promised during his political campaign.
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