AMERICA- The United States has officially left the World Health Organization after a year of warnings that doing so would hurt public health in the U.S. and globally, saying its decision reflected failures in the U.N. health agency's management of the Covid-19 pandemic.
U.S. President Donald Trump gave notice the U.S. would quit the organization on the first day of his presidency in 2025 through an executive order.
According to a press release from the U.S. Health and State Departments, the U.S. will only work with the WHO in a limited manner in order to effectuate the withdrawal.
"We have no plans to participate as an observer, and we have no plans of rejoining," a senior government health official said.
The U.S. said it plans to work directly with other countries, rather than through an international organization, on disease surveillance and other public health priorities.
