US rejects WHO pandemic changes to global health rules [View all]

Source: Reuters

July 18, 2025 4:42 PM EDT Updated 11 hours ago


WASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) - The United States has rejected amendments adopted in 2024 by members of the World Health Organization to its legally binding health rules aimed at improving preparedness for future pandemics following the disjointed global response to COVID-19.

The Department of State and Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement they had transmitted on Friday the official U.S. rejection of the amendments to the International Health Regulations, which were adopted by consensus last year. The amendments introduced a new category of "pandemic emergency" for the most significant and globally threatening health crises in an effort to shore up the world's defenses against new pathogens.

"Developed without adequate public input, these amendments expand the role of the WHO in public health emergencies, create additional authorities for the WHO for shaping pandemic declarations, and promote WHO's ability to facilitate 'equitable access' of health commodities," the U.S. statement said.

"Terminology throughout the 2024 amendments is vague and broad, risking WHO-coordinated international responses that focus on political issues like solidarity, rather than rapid and effective actions," said the statement, jointly issued by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-rejects-who-pandemic-changes-global-health-rules-2025-07-18/