The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. January 23, 2026 Public Health Advocates Decry U.S. Leaving World Health Organization -------------------------------------------------------------------- The United States officially left the World Health Organization on Thursday. Public health experts fear the U.S. decision will hinder global public health initiatives. Dr. Thomas Frieden, the former head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, called the withdrawal a "grave error." He said, "Health threats do not respect borders, and weakening global cooperation makes Americans less safe." .