Trump Admin Bars Key US Researchers From Global Virus Response Talk

Summary: The Trump administration has stopped top US health scientists from talking directly with the World Health Organization (WHO) about global virus outbreaks.

Scientists from the US can now only join WHO meetings about dangerous diseases like Ebola and Hantavirus in small groups just to listen. They are not allowed to speak. If they have important research questions, they must send them through a long government chain of command. This rule was made because politicians were upset with how the WHO handled the COVID-19 pandemic.

Experts are very worried because the US is missing key health leaders right now. The Surgeon General, FDA head, and top NIAID director jobs are all empty. Meanwhile, the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is now considered a "very high" risk. One American aid worker caught the virus and is being treated in Germany, though the CDC says the risk to the US remains low.

For more details, see rssapp-empr-com at empr.com/news/trump-admin-bars-key-us-researchers-from-global-virus-response-talk/ (opens in new tab)