The US is due to officially exit the World Health Organisation WHO on Thursday, in the face of warnings it will hit both US health and global health and also in violation of a US law that requires Washington to pay the UN health agency 260m R4.24bn in fees it owes.
President Donald Trump gave notice that the US would quit the organisation on the first day of his presidency in 2025. Under US law, it has to give one-year notice and pay all outstanding fees before departure.
Over the last year, many global health experts have urged a rethink, including most recently WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
