Senior officials tasked with leading US research on infectious disease threats have been banned from speaking directly with the World Health Organisation, according to documents and multiple sources who spoke to CNN.
The Trump administration issued the directive barring individuals at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) from communication with WHO, effectively removing them from global discussions on virus outbreaks.
The federal health sub-agency directed the development of treatments for HIV/AIDs and Covid-19 and was led by Dr. Anthony Fauci for decades.
The injunction was in place during the recent outbreak of hantavirus that several Americans have been exposed to.
Communication limits have been slightly relaxed recently following an outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
For example, some NIAID officials can now attend virtual WHO meetings, but only in small groups and in a “listening capacity”, according to an email from a senior NIAID official on May 18.
Follow-ups to those meetings would have to be conducted by NIAID’s parent agency, the Department of Health and Human Services.
“We’ll be operating in the same manner for Ebola as we have been doing for Hantavirus, assembling a small group of experts — no more than three — to participate,” the email said. “Should we have legitimate research questions or countermeasure testing ideas, we can bring those up through the proper chain of command.”
The limits stifle quick collaboration with international counterparts, several current and former health officials said. One source said it was unheard of during a US response to emerging public health emergencies.
The rules are part of broader Trump administration measures to retreat from global health initiatives, the president having ordered the U.S.’s withdrawal from WHO in January.
As a result, many US health agencies are also with interim heads or vacant positions including the director of the infectious disease agency; surgeon general; head of the Food and Drug Administration; deputy health secretary; and head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services said it “engages with the WHO to support information sharing and coordination during infectious disease outbreaks” through the CDC — which is on the ground in disease outbreaks — and it is “fully equipped to protect Americans and mitigate risks”.
“Teams across the Department coordinate on key response areas, including contact tracing, diagnostics, and medical countermeasures, to avoid duplication and reduce confusion in outbreak response efforts,” the spokesperson added.
