California joins UN health network following US departure from WHO

By Jasper Ward

Jan 23 (Reuters) - ⁠California said ⁠on ‍Friday it will become the first U.S. state to join the World Health Organization's global outbreak ‍response network following the Trump administration's decision to ​pull Washington out of the WHO.

The network, comprised of more than ​360 technical institutions, responds to public health events with the deployment of staff and resources to affected countries.

It has tackled major public health ​events, including COVID-19.

The state's decision to join the network comes more than a year after U.S. President Donald ​Trump gave notice that Washington would depart from the WHO. On Thursday, it ‌officially withdrew from the agency, saying its decision reflected failures in the U.N. health agency's management ​of the pandemic.

California Governor Gavin ⁠Newsom decried the United States' move on Friday, calling it a "reckless decision" that will hurt ‌many people.

"California will not bear witness to the chaos this decision will bring," Newsom said in a statement. "We will continue to ‌foster partnerships across the globe and remain at the forefront of ‌public health preparedness, including through our membership as the only state in WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network."

The governor's office said he met ‍with the WHO's Director General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, at the World Economic Forum ⁠in Davos, Switzerland, this week, where they discussed collaborating to detect and respond to emerging public health threats.

The WHO did not immediately respond when reached for comment.

(Reporting by Jasper Ward in WashingtonEditing by Rod Nickel)

---

Serious News for Serious Traders! Try StreetInsider.com Premium Free!

---

You May Also Be Interested In

• Bank of England's Pill says higher rates would help head off inflation pressure
• US pressure on Iran starting to tell, as sanctions and blockade bite
• Resistance to Bolivia IMF deal grows as groups meet over fuel crisis