A Mainer’s case for staying in the World Health Organization | Opinion The States is officially out. We don't get to opt out of global outbreaks of disease, however, only out of a shot at valuable participation — and the preparedness that follows.

A Mainer’s case for staying in the World Health Organization | Opinion

A single course of antibiotics can have lasting effects on your gut microbiome, with changes that last well beyond 4 years. Three types of antibiotics stood out for their long term disruptive impact (3 at left, Figure)
nature.com/articles/s41...

One shot, two targets: @ema.europa.eu just recommended market authorization for #mCombriax, the first combined COVID-19/flu vaccine for people 50+. Trial (~8,000 participants) found antibody responses comparable to getting the COVID and flu vaccines separately.

www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/firs...

Thanks for the shout out! Glad it resonated

A Mainer’s case for staying in the World Health Organization | Opinion The States is officially out. We don't get to opt out of global outbreaks of disease, however, only out of a shot at valuable participation — and the preparedness that follows.

Really appreciated this from Donald Brooks in our department www.pressherald.com/2026/02/06/a...

And that matters more in places like #Maine, where distances are long and capacity is thinner. When you’re rural, being late costs you options.

The world will keep coordinating either way. The question is whether we’re inside that room or outside, reacting after the fact.

Leaving doesn’t insulate us from outbreaks. Viruses don’t recognize borders or political decisions.

What changes is whether we hear warnings early, whether we can question assumptions, and whether we help shape the approach the world ends up following.

WHO isn’t some distant authority handing down orders. It’s the forum where countries share early signals, challenge each other’s data, and negotiate how to respond when new health threats emerge.

When the U.S. was there, Americans were part of those arguments. Now we aren’t.

A Mainer’s case for staying in the World Health Organization | Opinion The States is officially out. We don't get to opt out of global outbreaks of disease, however, only out of a shot at valuable participation — and the preparedness that follows.

I published an op-ed in the @pressherald.com: “A Mainer’s case for staying in the World Health Organization.”

I wrote it as the US withdrawal takes effect and in response to a narrative I hear often: that @who.int is a “globalist entity” that doesn’t serve us.

www.pressherald.com/2026/02/06/a...

Just because the United States is not a part of the WHO doesn’t mean the White House will not interfere with WHO or try to influence its decisions

Just saying

Massachusetts is leading the way - kudos to @massgovernor.bsky.social and @massdph.bsky.social. We must keep evidence & data at the front #publichealth policy.

While still fighting to stop the federal descent into delusion-driven policy, we need to start better embracing health federalism - state-level health depts. must counteract these dangerous #vaccine moves and take the reigns in vaccine policy decision making

Countering Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the World Health Organization, California is the first American state to join the @who.int’s Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network.

With GOARN, we’ll keep working to help protect Californians from public health threats.

An end of an era, and a deliberate step backward for global health security. Conspiracy delusion and loud ignorance just steamrolled reality. The result: a more dangerous world - by choice.

#ProudToBeWHO #WHO

The loss of the US is real, but the work doesn’t stop: @who.int composed now of the rest of the world - 193 Member States - will keep going, because global health security demands it. Pathogens don’t pause for politics.

Global health and health security are multilateral by definition: viruses don’t respect borders, and neither can preparedness. Walking away from cooperation is choosing blind spots. No one is protected unless everyone is protected.

US withdraws from the World Health Organization The United States officially left the World Health Organization on Thursday after a year of warnings that doing so would hurt public health in the U.S. and globally, saying its decision reflected fail...

The now-effective US withdrawal from @who.int is a self-inflicted wound: less early warning, less coordination, less influence - more risk. Shortsighted and self-destructive, with consequences for everyone, including Americans.

www.reuters.com/business/hea...

The CDC's new childhood immunization schedule represents one of the most dramatic changes in childhood disease prevention policy in decades.

Keep reading for what parents should know ⬇️

1/5

Strong surveillance, clinician awareness, rapid detection, and coordination are what keep importations from becoming outbreaks. Sustained vigilance isn’t alarmism; it’s preparedness. (4/4)

Strategic plan for coronavirus disease threat management: advancing integration, sustainability, and equity, 2025–2030 The WHO Strategic plan for coronavirus disease threat management sets out the global framework for the sustained, integrated and evidence-based management of coronavirus disease threats including COVI...

This is exactly why @who.int released its Strategic Plan for Coronavirus Disease Threat Management (2025–2030), shifting from crisis response to sustained, integrated management of COVID-19, MERS, and novel coronaviruses:
👉 who.int/publications... (3/4)

#MERS is a #coronavirus with high severity and pandemic potential, known for sporadic international importations. Even rare events remind us that coronavirus disease threats are not confined to #COVID19. (2/4)

Deux cas de MERS-CoV, de retour de l'étranger, identifiés sur le territoire national – Ministère de la Santé, de la Famille, de l'Autonomie et des Personnes handicapées Le ministère de la Santé, des Familles, de l'Autonomie et des Personnes handicapées et Santé publique France ont été informés de deux cas de MERS-CoV sur le territoire national. Ces deux cas ont été…

Earlier this month, France (@sante.gouv.fr / @santepubliquefrance.fr) confirmed two cases of #MERSCoV in travelers returning from abroad. Cases are isolated, monitored, and no secondary transmission has been identified, but the signal matters. sante.gouv.fr/actualites-p... (1/4)

WHO remains committed to supporting countries in applying the Strategic plan and strengthening coronavirus threat management capacities, reducing risk and impact everywhere.

It was developed through broad consultation with Member States, experts, partners, WHO regional & country offices, and the public - thank you to all involved. Operational tools & M&E materials will follow to support implementation.

The plan links with key ongoing global processes, the WHO #PandemicAgreement, #HEPR Framework, #IHR & other respiratory strategies, to help countries build long-term, coherent systems for preventing, detecting & responding to threats.

It builds on WHO’s earlier preparedness and response plans for #COVID19 and #MERS, incorporating lessons learned and unifying them into a single, forward-looking approach for managing coronavirus disease threats in the years ahead.

The plan sets out the global framework for integrated, evidence-based coronavirus disease threat management across routine and emergency contexts, including preparing for and responding to a novel coronavirus with epidemic or pandemic potential.

“Coronaviruses remain one of the most consequential infectious disease threats today,” said @mvankerkhove.bsky.social. “WHO urges Member States to use the plan’s strategic directions to build resilient systems for current and future threats.”

#MERS remains a significant #zoonotic coronavirus threat, with continued spillover from camels and potential for wider transmission. Novel coronaviruses will continue to emerge, underscoring the need for sustained, robust threat management capacities.

Coronaviruses have driven major outbreaks (#SARS 2002, #MERS 2012, #COVID19 2019). While impacts are lower today, #SARSCoV2 still circulates widely and causes severe disease (esp. in risk groups) with ~6% developing Post COVID Condition (#LongCovid), sometimes lasting over a year