Two weeks after the Trump administration formally withdrew the United States from the World Health Organization, the New York City Health Department joined a W.H.O. network aimed at countering new pathogens and emerging outbreaks.
The move represents the latest effort by New York’s health authorities to forge their own alliances with health agencies elsewhere, even as the federal authorities withdraw from partnerships and scale back efforts to prevent and snuff out disease outbreaks.
Last year, the city and New York State joined with several other Northeastern states to form a regional public health coalition to issue vaccine recommendations and coordinate public health policies. That move was a rebuke to the Trump administration’s shifts on public health guidance, as well as an attempt to create alliances and common cause with other health agencies as it became clear that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was going to provide less support and guidance than it had in the past.
Similar dynamics are playing out elsewhere. Several Western states formed a bloc called the West Coast Health Alliance. And California and Illinois have recently joined the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, an international effort by the W.H.O. to track and respond to emerging diseases.
Now, the city Health Department is joining that consortium, officials said Wednesday.
“To best prevent disease outbreaks and public health emergencies and to protect New Yorkers and visitors from them, the N.Y.C. Health Department is joining hundreds of public health institutions worldwide that share critical public health information to support lifesaving prevention and response efforts,” Dr. Michelle Morse, the city’s acting health commissioner and chief medical officer, said.
The global outbreak network includes more than 300 agencies and nonprofit organizations around the world. When outbreaks emerge, the network often dispatches epidemiologists and laboratory scientists to investigate and help coordinate the response.
New York City’s health authorities said they hope the move ensures that they are up-to-date on information about faraway outbreaks and new health threats.
The Health Department intends to participate in weekly meetings with other network members, officials said. It was not immediately clear if the city’s Health Department, which is a large public health agency in its own right, with a $1.6 billion budget and more than 7,000 employees, will be sending scientists to help in responding to faraway outbreaks.
“Infectious diseases know no boundaries, and nor should the information and resources that help us protect New Yorkers,” Dr. Morse said.
Joseph Goldstein covers health care in New York for The Times, following years of criminal justice and police reporting.
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