Former senator and political commentator Shehu Sani has described the United States’ formal withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) as “unfortunate” and a potential threat to global health systems and collaborative disease-control efforts. His remarks come in the wake of the U.S. exit, which took effect this week exactly one year after President Donald Trump’s executive order initiating the withdrawal process.
Sani argued that the U.S. departure undermines the WHO’s capacity to coordinate responses to health emergencies and leaves a financial and operational gap that must be filled by other global actors, including the European Union, China and wealthy Gulf states. He stressed that without sustained multilateral cooperation, the world could face slower responses to outbreaks and weakened public health infrastructure particularly in remote and vulnerable communities.
His comments reflect broader international concern regarding the withdrawal, which many public health experts warn could weaken global pandemic preparedness, disease surveillance and vaccine coordination areas in which the U.S. historically played a leading role due to its status as a major WHO funder.
Sani’s statement underscores fears that the move could disrupt integrated health strategies and diminish the influence of coordinated multilateral action in addressing cross-border health threats. He urged global partners to step up support for the WHO to mitigate the impact of Washington’s exit and safeguard public health gains achieved through decades of international cooperation.
