The United States is about to find out whether the World Health Organization can be easily replaced.
In his executive order announcing the withdrawal of the United States from WHO, President Donald Trump instructed officials to “identify credible and transparent United States and international partners to assume necessary activities previously undertaken by the WHO.”
The order does not specify exactly what constitutes a necessary activity, but experts point to a range of actions WHO takes that are a benefit to the United States. These include disease surveillance to improve health security and the agency’s role in setting global guidelines that help protect the safety of U.S. consumers.