Trump Defends WHO Exit, US Handling of Cruise Ship Hantavirus Outbreak

(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump defended Washington’s decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO), responding to criticism that the move contributed to a delayed reaction to a recent hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise vessel in the Atlantic.

Speaking at the White House, Trump said the US had not been treated fairly by the organization and questioned its reliability during global health crises.

“We weren't being treated well, and they were making the wrong diagnosis,” he said when asked whether he regretted leaving the WHO, which he previously accused of being influenced by China during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He also compared financial contributions, arguing that the United States paid disproportionately more than other countries.

“We were paying for, let's say, 350 million people. We were paying $500 million a year ... and China was paying $39 million a year for 1.4 billion people,” he said.

Trump further repeated his criticism of the WHO’s handling of COVID-19, stating: “On COVID, they were totally wrong.”

He signed an executive order to withdraw the US from the organization at the start of his second term in January last year.

Addressing the hantavirus situation, Trump described the virus as difficult to transmit and emphasized ongoing containment efforts.

“We've lived with it for years, many years, and we think we're in very good shape. We're very careful and Nebraska has done a fantastic job,” he said.

Meanwhile, health officials in the US state of Nebraska confirmed that 18 American passengers were evacuated safely from the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius following a hantavirus outbreak aboard the ship.

A senior US public health official, Adm. Brian Christine, said the risk to the general public remains extremely low.

“Let me be crystal clear, the risk of hantavirus to the general public remains very, very low,” he said.

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