California becomes 1st state to join WHO disease network following US withdrawal

By Serdar Dincel

ISTANBUL (AA) – Following the Trump administration’s controversial decision to quit the World Health Organization, California will become the first US state to join the UN agency’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, Governor Gavin Newsom said Friday.

Newsom's announcement came just a day after the US formally completed its withdrawal from the WHO, ending nearly 80 years of membership as a founding member.

“As President Trump withdraws the United States from the World Health Organization, California is stepping up under Governor Gavin Newsom — becoming the first, and currently the only, state to join the WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network (GOARN), strengthening public health preparedness and rapid response coordination,” said the governor's office in a statement.

“The Trump administration’s withdrawal from WHO is a reckless decision that will hurt all Californians and Americans," the statement cited Newsom as saying.

"California will not bear witness to the chaos this decision will bring.”

With a population of nearly 40 million, California is the most populous US state, with about 12% of the nation’s total population. If it were an independent country, California would rank 38th in population globally, and also boasts the world’s fifth-largest economy.

Tensions between US President Donald Trump and Newsom have flared repeatedly since Trump started his second term a year ago, including a dispute over the Republican president's decision to deploy National Guard troops to California over the summer.

WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network works to observe and respond to threatening epidemics, evaluate the risks that certain diseases pose, and improve international capability to deal with them.

The value of such international tools was proven during the COVID-19 pandemic, which quickly spread worldwide, as diseases do not respect borders.