Health professionals warn that President Trump's decision to exit the WHO could undermine the safety procedures and international collaborations essential for managing smallpox, a deadly virus eradicated in the human population but still stored for research.
Trump's Withdrawal from WHO Puts Smallpox Safety at Risk
Trump's Withdrawal from WHO Puts Smallpox Safety at Risk
Experts express concerns that the U.S. exit from the World Health Organization jeopardizes smallpox virus management and research efforts.
The recent decision by President Trump to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO) has raised significant alarms regarding the future of smallpox virus management and the safety of international public health endeavors. Health experts are warning that this move could dismantle decades of collaborative efforts aimed at preventing the leakage of the smallpox virus, a pathogen that has historically claimed the lives of approximately 500 million people.
Former CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden voiced serious concerns over the lack of oversight, stating that without regular inspections, there is a higher risk that the remnants of the smallpox virus could be mishandled. "I've been in that lab," Frieden said, describing the stringent safety measures currently in place in labs that house the virus. "We need to open ourselves up to inspection."
On February 12, 2025, Dartmouth professor Daniel R. Lucey expressed similar worries in an article posted on the Infectious Diseases Society of America blog, indicating that the U.S. exit from the WHO may put vital storage, experiments, reporting, and inspections at risk. He noted that the WHO played a crucial role in eradicating smallpox from human populations five decades ago, a global medical milestone achieved through unprecedented collaboration.
After the eradication of smallpox in humans, two repositories were established for research purposes—one in Atlanta and the other in Russia. Both sites are secured in specialized labs classified as Biosafety Level 4, the highest level of containment. Experts warn that the dissolution of WHO oversight may not only harm ongoing research into potential smallpox outbreaks but could also result in domestic and international apprehensions that the U.S. government might covertly develop biological weapons utilizing the smallpox virus.
As the fallout from the withdrawal continues to unfold, the global health community is grappling with the implications of this significant policy shift, calling for renewed transparency and cooperation in managing dangerous pathogens like smallpox.
Former CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden voiced serious concerns over the lack of oversight, stating that without regular inspections, there is a higher risk that the remnants of the smallpox virus could be mishandled. "I've been in that lab," Frieden said, describing the stringent safety measures currently in place in labs that house the virus. "We need to open ourselves up to inspection."
On February 12, 2025, Dartmouth professor Daniel R. Lucey expressed similar worries in an article posted on the Infectious Diseases Society of America blog, indicating that the U.S. exit from the WHO may put vital storage, experiments, reporting, and inspections at risk. He noted that the WHO played a crucial role in eradicating smallpox from human populations five decades ago, a global medical milestone achieved through unprecedented collaboration.
After the eradication of smallpox in humans, two repositories were established for research purposes—one in Atlanta and the other in Russia. Both sites are secured in specialized labs classified as Biosafety Level 4, the highest level of containment. Experts warn that the dissolution of WHO oversight may not only harm ongoing research into potential smallpox outbreaks but could also result in domestic and international apprehensions that the U.S. government might covertly develop biological weapons utilizing the smallpox virus.
As the fallout from the withdrawal continues to unfold, the global health community is grappling with the implications of this significant policy shift, calling for renewed transparency and cooperation in managing dangerous pathogens like smallpox.
