As death toll passes 300,000, US-China discord hampers search for Covid-19’s origin
- The WHO has been in the thick of previous outbreaks to contain infectious diseases
- But this time is different – the toxic relationship between Beijing and Washington is getting in the way
A decade later, the WHO was on the ground during the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, coordinating efforts to contain and trace the virus.
It makes sense to bring in an international WHO team to investigate disease outbreaks. The WHO is backed and funded by 194 nations and its mandate when set up in 1948 states: “The attainment by all people of the highest possible level of health.”
But the record shows that there is not a one-size-fits-all WHO response to epidemics – it depends on the outbreak and capacity of the country to deal with it. That’s why the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention handled the H1N1 pandemic flu in North America in 2009.
The WHO also lacks the authority to march into a country to investigate health conditions; it needs to be invited.
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