BLOG: The value of WHO

I had the unique opportunity to serve as an adjunct faculty member, as a lecturer in the public health track, at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry for more than 30 years.

I worked under the leadership of my friend and mentor, Anthony Di Stefano, OD, MPH, who asked me do at least two lectures each year. To keep these presentations fresh and timely, I needed to research health trends and data on an annual basis. Later, as I started my blog series on health care reform for Healio, I also needed health care data.

One of my go-to sources for data and insights on trends in health care was WHO, which was established in 1948 as a specialized agency of the United Nations.

WHO programs, funding

One of its most significant early success programs was the eradication of smallpox. Launched in the 1960s and complete in the 1980s, this program featured education, mass vaccinations and ongoing surveillance. A disease that plagued mankind for centuries and had killed an estimated 300 million to 500 million people in the first half of the 20th century was eliminated in just 13 years.

WHO has also worked to reduce other major diseases, such as malaria and tuberculosis, and has helped standardize health practices across the globe. It has launched initiatives such as “Health for All” to encourage primary health care for everyone, everywhere, and has decreased health disparities. The organization also has played a central role in health emergencies such as the 2003 SARS outbreak, the 2009 H1N1 flu epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic.

WHO is largely funded by its member nations. A formula used to determine funding levels includes a nation’s gross national income (GNI) and its ability to pay. Naturally, the United States, a country that views itself as the leader of the free world, is one of the largest contributors.

The U.S., however, is not the only large source of funding. Other wealthy nations, including Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Italy, have long been significant contributors. More recently, China has significantly increased its funding level, both by an increase in its GNI and by voluntary contributions.

WHO is sometimes criticized for being overly influenced by its largest contributors, and both the U.S. and China have been accused of excessive influence. Given the nature of the organization, this is not surprising. WHO, however, works hard to maintain neutrality and hold tight to its mission, in spite of the conflicting views of its member states.

Public health should be ‘fundamental mission’

The American Public Health Association (APHA), as well as the CDC and HHS, all rely on WHO to keep our country safe and healthy. We need WHO for global surveillance and data, international standards, collaboration of global health issues, emergency responses, technical expertise and global health security. The APHA and the National Academy of Medicine have strongly discouraged the U.S. from withdrawing from WHO.

Public health should be a fundamental mission of all members of the health care community. During the COVID pandemic, despite our best efforts and the development of vaccines, the U.S. had one of the highest death tolls in the world. Our inconsistent state-by-state implementation and weak leadership led to misinformation that hindered the vaccination effort.

On Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. to withdraw from WHO. This ill-conceived action will drastically reduce the WHO budget and will not only cripple the international mission of world health but also will be a direct threat to the health and safely of the citizens of our own country. Fortunately, the process to withdraw from WHO is not automatic and will take 1 year to implement.

Optometrists, as primary care health care providers, should make every effort to stop this action. We should use the power of our state associations and the American Optometric Association and write to our senators, representatives — even directly to the president — and ask for reconsideration of this executive action.

Only by maintaining our membership in WHO, supporting the work that it does and learning from other member states will we strengthen our own public health system and be ready for the next global health crisis.

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Scott A. Edmonds, OD, FAAO, specializes in vision-based neurorehabilitation at Edmonds Eye Associates in Philadelphia. He can be reached at scott@edmondsgroup.com.