The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for the protection and preservation of the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), describing the agency as a global model of public health excellence.
Speaking on Sunday, the WHO’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that recent leadership upheavals, high-profile resignations and proposals to slash the CDC’s funding by 20% could undermine its critical role at a time when evidence-based public health guidance is needed more than ever.
In a statement posted on X, Ghebreyesus praised the CDC’s decades-long contributions to global health, noting that many countries, including Ethiopia and institutions such as the Africa CDC, were inspired by its structure and best practices.
“When I was Ethiopia’s Health Minister, I sent a team to Atlanta to learn from the U.S. CDC, and a significant part of what the Ethiopian Public Health Institute does today is based on those lessons”, Ghebreyesus said.
“The Africa CDC, which I proposed at the African Union summit in Abuja in 2013, was also inspired by the U.S. CDC.”
His remarks follow a statement from the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), which expressed concern over staff departures and potential funding cuts, warning that these could weaken an institution long regarded as a cornerstone of U.S. and global disease prevention, outbreak response, and health research.
“No institution is perfect, and improvements are always needed. But the work of the U.S. CDC has been invaluable and must be protected”, he stressed.
Ghebreyesus emphasised the WHO’s close and longstanding partnership with the CDC, highlighting its role in enabling data sharing, early warnings, and scientific collaboration that benefit both Americans and the global community.
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