President Donald Trump has officially withdrawn the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO). The move is more than a symbolic political gesture—it is a dangerous wager that puts American lives at risk. In public health, risk has a habit of compounding quietly, long before anyone realizes it is too late.

I have worked at the intersection of clinical care, public health, and humanitarian response, including in settings where global coordination made the difference between containing an outbreak and watching it spiral out of control. In those environments, sharing information about emerging diseases is not theoretical. It is a practical tool that determines how quickly threats are recognized and whether lives are protected or lost.

Viruses do not respect borders. Drug-resistant bacteria do not wait for diplomatic alignment. The idea that a nation can insulate itself from global health threats by disengaging from global coordination misunderstands how disease spreads and how prevention works. For decades, U.S. participation in the WHO served a practical purpose: early warning, shared surveillance, and coordinated response. Our participation was never about charity. It was about self-protection. Leaving weakens that shield.

The WHO also plays a concrete role in supporting U.S. economic interests. By helping create........

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