Robert F Kennedy Jr and Marco Rubio announced the US was no longer a member for first time since WHO was created in 1948.United States Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio have jointly announced the “completion” of US withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO).The announcement on Thursday marks the first time the US has not been a member of the WHO since it joined as a founding member in 1948, though US President Donald Trump had signalled his intention to withdraw from the body in 2020 during his first term in office.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThe joint statement from Rubio and Kennedy, a vaccine sceptic, primarily blamed the WHO’s “failures during the COVID-19 pandemic” as the reason for the withdrawal.“Going forward, US engagement with the WHO will be limited strictly to effectuate our withdrawal and to safeguard the health and safety of the American people,” Rubio and Kennedy said, noting that all US funding for the WHO had ceased.WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters earlier this month that the organisation had responded to funding shortfalls associated with the US withdrawal by making cuts.United Nations Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Thursday that “for all intents and purposes” the US is “no longer participating in the work of the World Health Organization”, but that some “legal details will likely have to be worked out”.“It is clear we would love to see the United States …
