A World Health Organization spokesperson said on Tuesday that communication on bird flu had become challenging since United States President Donald Trump announced a withdrawal from the United Nations health agency.
Asked about communication received by the WHO from Washington on the H5N1 outbreak, Christian Lindmeier told a press briefing in Geneva: “Communication is a challenge indeed. The traditional ways of contact have been cut.”
He declined to elaborate.
A U.S. outbreak of the H5N1 virus has infected nearly 70 people, mostly farm workers, since April 2024. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported for the first time last week that a second strain of bird flu was found in dairy cattle in Nevada, a discovery that ramped up concerns about the U.S. outbreak.
Under WHO rules known as the International Health Regulations (IHR), countries have binding obligations to communicate on public health events that have the potential to cross borders. These include advising the WHO immediately of a health emergency and measures on trade and travel.
Other countries have privately voiced concern at the idea that the United States would stop communicating about emerging viruses that could become the next pandemic. “If such a big country does not report anymore, what message does it send?” said a Western diplomat in Geneva.
Argentina has also said it plans to withdraw from the WHO, citing “deep differences” regarding the agency’s management of health issues, notably the COVID-19 pandemic.
