U.S. departure from WHO could hinder hantavirus response

The U.S. left the World Health Organization in January. Because of that, experts say, it might not get immediate access to information about the hantavirus outbreak on a Dutch-operated cruise ship.

The deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard a Dutch-operated cruise ship with passengers of 23 nationalities is precisely the type of public health crisis the World Health Organization is designed to tackle. But the U.S. formally left the WHO in January, after 78 years of membership.

Subscribe to read this story ad-free

Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.

As a result, health experts say, the U.S. might not get immediate access to surveillance data about the virus and contact tracing information about cases linked to the ship, which could help prevent additional infections.

“The access that we got as being members and as being important donors to WHO is gone,” said Amira Albert Roess, a professor of global health and epidemiology at George Mason University.