To the Editor:

Re “Trump Says U.S. Is Leaving W.H.O., but Experts Aren’t So Sure” (news article, May 30):

The United States has been the largest funder of the World Health Organization because it has recognized that partnership with this respected international organization is critical to successful global public health programs.

Withdrawal means closing off opportunities for U.S. leadership in global diseases of interest, which protects us by controlling disease outbreaks before they reach our borders, as was done with SARS, MERS, Ebola and avian influenza.

Withdrawal means ending a nearly 70-year-old partnership with W.H.O.’s Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System, which provides data for selecting candidates for the yearly composition of lifesaving influenza vaccines.

Abandoning the W.H.O. during the worst pandemic in modern history will be seen historically as both self-defeating and as one of the greatest failures of U.S. public health and foreign policy.

William Foege
William Roper
Jeffrey Koplan
The writers are former directors of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The letter was also signed by 11 former senior C.D.C. staff:

Mark Kane
Nancy Cox
Walter Dowdle
Gary Noble
Jim Curran
Jackie Katz
Steve Schoenbaum
Mark Rosenberg
Glenda Cowart
James Maynard
William Parra

To the Editor:

Re “Don’t Leave the W.H.O. Strengthen It” (editorial, June 14):

We agree with the assessment that the World Health Organization is the United States’ and the world’s “best hope” for fighting a global pandemic.

The W.H.O. defines health as “complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease.” It provides technical assistance, resources and scientific guidance to member states, which are still responsible and accountable for health care and decisions within their own countries.

The W.H.O.’s guidance focuses on building multiple sectors and responsive health systems. For example, in 2015 the World Health Assembly unanimously endorsed Resolution 68.15 “Strengthening Emergency and Essential Surgical Care and Anesthesia as a Component of Universal Health Coverage.”

It has been estimated that a third of the world’s burden of disease is due to surgical diseases, like complicated labor, trauma and cancer. Five years later, investments in surgical systems were repurposed for the Covid-19 response, proving to be a “best buy” in pandemic preparedness as well.

Leaving the W.H.O. means capitulation in our struggle for global health and security. Strengthening it is still our best opportunity.

Neil Parsan
Gail Rosseau
Ruben Ayala
The writers, medical doctors, are chairman, secretary and a member of the board of directors, the G4 Alliance.