HHS’ move against the WHO: a line in the sand, or political theater?

https://www.statnews.com/2025/07/21/hhs-rfk-jr-who-cancer-teens-smartphones-mental-health-news/ What it means that HHS rejected WHO’s regulatory amendments Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Friday that the U.S. has rejected amendments made last year by WHO members to the organization's International Health Regulations. Kennedy claimed that the amendments give WHO “unprecedented power” and could enable “global medical surveillance of every human being.” (Reminder: Here in the U.S., the Trump administration just gave ICE officials access to personal data on the country’s 79 million Medicaid enrollees.) An HHS press release noted that the IHR amendments are binding for the U.S., even after the country’s withdrawal from WHO. But Lawrence Gostin, an international health law expert from Georgetown, said the move was effectively political theater. The U.S. had already signaled it wouldn’t accept the amendments when President Trump signed the executive order to withdraw from the WHO. On top of that, the WHO has no power to enforce the regulations, which establish the responsibilities of WHO and its members during global health events or emergencies. During the Covid pandemic, there were “daily violations of the IHR,” Gostin told STAT’s Helen Branswell. Not being party to the IHR amendments runs counter to U.S. interests, he added. “We want other countries to rapidly detect and respond to infectious diseases that are novel and [could] turn into pandemics,” he said. “That's exactly what we've always wanted. We want scientific sharing of information.” Trump orders U.S. to withdraw from World Health Organization The move could cripple the WHO and substantially weaken global health security https://www.statnews.com/2025/01/20/trump-order-us-withdrawal-world-health-organization-historic-policy-shift/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--QLkqRP_hbWWOXMqWr8_cVhxKiAh2qQPfQM0cafHR8fz2LexB9D1-Uug_DSHAH6g5dRxXWw-eMSYeDajBPIxQg1N0I5g&_hsmi=372144235&utm_content=372144235&utm_source=hs_email World Health Assembly agreement reached on wide-ranging, decisive package of amendments to improve the International Health Regulations https://www.who.int/news/item/01-06-2024-world-health-assembly-agreement-reached-on-wide-ranging--decisive-package-of-amendments-to-improve-the-international-health-regulations--and-sets-date-for-finalizing-negotiations-on-a-proposed-pandemic-agreement?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9tmzUb2ZPqAjRFQGczPnjFVJcWNK22XSPdCj8mpNlLO12oj7e9qQoWYyjJS_ARpr3oAqULtDDzZrLS24LWcOAv5XD6Bg&_hsmi=372144235&utm_content=372144235&utm_source=hs_email