WHO struggles with U.S. bird flu communication after Trump exit – National [Video]

A World Health Organization spokesperson said on Tuesday that communication on bird flu had become challenging since United States President Donald Trump announced a withdrawal from the United Nations health agency.

Asked about communication received by the WHO from Washington on the H5N1 outbreak, Christian Lindmeier told a press briefing in Geneva: “Communication is a challenge indeed. The traditional ways of contact have been cut.”

He declined to elaborate.

A U.S. outbreak of the H5N1 virus has infected nearly 70 people, mostly farm workers, since April 2024. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported for the first time last week that a second strain of bird flu was found in dairy cattle in Nevada, a discovery that ramped up concerns about the U.S. outbreak.

Under WHO rules known as the International Health Regulations (IHR), countries have binding obligations to communicate …