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Those who worked at the World Health Organization expected the worst – but Donald Trump Executive command He still landed like a blow to the gut.

“The mood is quite gloomy and quite gloomy here,” said Dr. Madhukar Pai, who accidentally worked from the Who -Geneva headquarters when the US president signed an executive order by pulling America from the global health agency.

The United States are intended for departure WHO in January 2026, the UN says, since it must deliver one year before the retreat. The United States is by far the largest financial supporter of WHO, contributing 18 percent of the total financing, which amounts to approximately $ 1.2 billion for the latest two-year budget of the agency for 2024-25.

It’s a bad weather. Pai, presided over by the Department of Global and Public Health at McGill University, says that there is so much at the moment to suppress the spread of infectious diseases around the world.

Birds Flu-Concrete H5N1-Maya would be just one mutation away from the transmitted among people, according to a study of a reviewed study Published in science in December. Currently is the outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in Tanzaniafollowing fatal Outbreak in Rwanda In the fall of 2024. There are A few outbreaks of MPOX In several African countries, there is a potential for the disease to spread outside the continent.

Pai worries that he weaken who could be catastrophic, not only for Americans, but for the whole world.

That, he says, should be concerned with Canadian.

“What happened in Wuhan came to Canada. What happened elsewhere will come to Canada.”

It is a fear that other experts in public health and infectious diseases are widely distributed, who care that the move could restore progress in the fight against diseases such as Polio and malaria. Zimbabwe is worried This move will harm the HIV/AIDS help programs and in the country and in other African countries, given that the withdrawal from WHO could signal that now they could reduce its side help -something that rely on it. AND Said Germany On Tuesday, he would try to persuade now to reconsider drawing from WHO.

‘50% chance ‘in pandemia in Kovida by 2050

Every day, estimated 400,000 people exceed the border of Canada-now, the largest land border in the world. And about 800,000 Canadian citizens live in the United States. All of this means that the threat of an infectious disease could be even more urgent to the Canadians.

Dr. Peter Singer, who was a special advisor to CEO WHO between 2017 and 2023, says the decision will make Americans less healthy – and this will affect Canadians.

“If our greatest and best neighbor is not a member who does the world, the United States and Canada less safe than pandemic such as the one we have just passed,” said Singer, who is also a professor of emeritus at the University of Toronto.

“Experts assess that there is 50 percent chance that pandemic pandemic will happen between now and 2050. We need to be ready for that. “

WHO cooperates with its Member States to discover, control and manage the threats of public health. It is a forum on which countries share things like samples of viruses and gene sequences. Leaving the health agency, now they will now have a blind place, says Dr. Prabhat JHA, a professor of global health at the University of Toronto.

“Other countries, in a future pandemia, can actually respond to the withdrawal now, saying,” Well, we will not share this information with the US “”

“That is then poured into Canadian threats,” Jha said.

Pai puts it sharply.

“If he will suffer now in the future, we will suffer with the US”

H5n1 and Flu

Scientific cooperation is required to fight pandemic and routine diseases-in this could be in danger if they are withdrawing from WHO, says JHA.

One example: annual flu shot.

“Flu is the product of a WHO network of 80 laboratories around the world that share essential information about the virus and help designing this year’s flu crap. And that is actually really endangered,” says JHA.

The sharing of information also helps the governments to prepare for possible challenges, such as the spread of bird flu. This free flow of information could be endangered, says Devon Greyson, a professor at the University of the British Columbia University and public health.

“If we do not know what is happening at the southern end of our bird migration patterns, for example, it is a little harder to prepare here.”

“Things like H5n1 don’t respect the boundaries,” Greyson said.

Call for “waking up” for the world

But Jha sees silver lining in all this.

“It’s an invitation to wake up to the world, to cope with other countries and can think about what is needed for collective health actions.”

He says it is an opportunity for the Canadian government to step up and fill the lead with the leadership with the departure of the US on the horizon.

Pai divides that hope. He says Canada is already a global leader in reproductive health, mental health and human rights.

“I think this is actually a great opportunity for Canada to show the leadership globally,” he said.

Singer also says he sees the outcome in which anyone is able to reach an agreement now.

“The best outcome is the situation if anyone could sit together, hire, listen to each other concerns and both get out of strong,” he said.

‘Good management’

And if he leaves Who in the end, Singer says it could be a great warning for Canada – this should be taken unilateral action to strengthen the pandemic willingness in the country.

“This is a signal to the Canadian government and governments around the world to strengthen their own response to public health and prepare for a weakened one,” Singer says.

Greyson agrees.

“What we can do here is to ensure that our systems are stable, that we have structures that will keep things that will be funded and what things will continue,” Grayon said.

“It’s a kind of good management … We are proud here in Canada.

“” Peace, order and good management, “after all, the Canadian response to American ‘life, freedom and search for happiness.” “