Bill Gates condemns Trump's 'dangerous' decision to stop WHO funding during coronavirus crisis

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David Child15 April 2020

American billionaire Bill Gates has slammed Donald Trump's decision to stop US funding of the World Health Organisation (WHO) amid the coronavirus pandemic, warning the move is as "dangerous as it sounds".

Mr Gates took to Twitter on Wednesday to condemn President Trump's move, arguing the work of the United Nations health agency was more vital now than ever given the scale of the Covid-19 crisis.

"Their work is slowing the spread of COVID-19 and if that work is stopped no other organization can replace them," the Microsoft founder and global health philanthropist said.

"The world needs @WHO now more than ever."

His comments came after Mr Trump on Tuesday said the US was pulling funding for the WHO pending a review of its handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

The country is the biggest overall donor to the Geneva-based WHO, contributing more than $400 million (£316m) in 2019, roughly 15 per cent of its budget.

According to the WHO, when assessed and voluntary contributions are pooled together, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the second biggest donor, contributing nearly 9.8 per cent of its budget.

Announcing his decision to suspend donations to the health agency, Mr Trump said Covid-19 could have been better contained and accused the WHO of covering up its spread after it emerged in China in December last year.

The organisation has previously come in for similar criticism, with a damning report into the Ebola outbreak saying it failed to act quickly when early signs of the virus spreading emerged in 2014.

Mr Trump, meanwhile, has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks for his own handling of the Covid-19 outbreak.

He has routinely sought to deflect persistent criticism that he acted too slowly to stop the virus's spread, pointing to his decision in late January to place restrictions on travel from China.

The US has the world's highest caseload of Covid-19, with more than 600,000 confirmed infections. In excess of 26,000 people have died nationwide as a result of the outbreak.

Worldwide, nearly two million people have been infected and more than 126,000 have died since the outbreak erupted, according to the latest data collated by by Johns Hopkins University's Covid-19 tracker.

Several world leaders have echoed Gates' criticism of Trump's move to cut funding to the WHO given the magnitude of the health emergency.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday it was “not the time” to reduce resources for the body.

“Now is the time for unity and for the international community to work together in solidarity to stop this virus and its shattering consequences,” he said.

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