Illinois joins WHO global outbreak network after U.S. withdraws
[February 04, 2026]
By Nikoel Hytrek and UIS Public Affairs Reporting (PAR)
Illinois will join the World Health Organization’s Global Outbreak Alert
and Response Network, or GOARN, to counterbalance the federal
government’s withdrawal, Gov. JB Pritzker announced Tuesday.
The network monitors disease outbreaks across the globe and prepares
countries to respond to those outbreaks. As a member, Illinois will have
access to research, timely alerts and information about outbreaks, risk
assessments and trainings so state officials can respond to public
health emergencies.
The move follows President Donald Trump leaving the international health
organization in January 2025.
“By withdrawing from the World Health Organization, Donald Trump has
undermined science and weakened our nation’s ability to detect and
respond to global health threats,” Pritzker said in a news release. “I
refuse to sit idly by and let that happen.”
Many WHO meetings involve national governments around the world, but
GOARN is open to a wider variety of groups. It connects hundreds of
public institutions, laboratories, academic institutions and different
levels of government to detect and respond to public health threats like
COVID-19, influenza and other diseases.
“Membership in this network strengthens Illinois’ preparedness for
future pandemics and emerging threats,” the release states.
Illinois will bring laboratory capacity to the organization, including
genomic sequencing and wastewater surveillance developed for COVID-19.
Illinois also provides expertise in outbreak investigations and
communication about risk.
Already, the Illinois Department of Public Health collects data and
information about emerging health risks, and that will continue.
“Disease knows no borders,” said Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of IDPH.
“The decision by the U.S. government to withdraw from the World Health
Organization threatens decades of progress in global health coordination
that makes Illinois residents safer.”
Joining GOARN is another move Pritzker has made to counter federal
public health policies.
Pritzker in 2025 signed a bill to allow IDPH to set its own vaccine
guidelines. It also requires insurance companies to cover vaccines that
are recommended by IDPH.
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Gov. JB Pritzker wears an Illinois face mask amid the COVID-19
pandemic in 2021. (Capitol News Illinois file photo by Jerry Nowicki)
He also joined the Governors Public Health Alliance, a group of 15 other
governors that coordinates to monitor public health threats, share
information and communicate with the global health community.
California also joined GOARN in late January.
The withdrawal is complicated because there is no official way to leave
WHO and the United States is the only country with the ability to do so.
Experts say it’s up to WHO members when the departure is finalized, and
they expect the matter to come up in meetings in February and May.
Leaving WHO doesn’t mean leaving all global health efforts. The U.S.
will still participate in organizations like UNICEF and the United
Nations Children’s Fund.
Trump tried in 2020 to leave WHO, but President Joe Biden reversed that
decision. Trump has accused WHO of not being independent and has
demanded reforms without clarifying what those are. He has also
criticized the way WHO handled the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tom Hughes, executive director of the Illinois Public Health
Association, praised the announcement, emphasizing how strong systems
and partnerships are crucial to public health.
“Public health works best when we are informed, connected, and
prepared,” he said. “Joining GOARN means Illinois public health leaders
can access timely, reliable information, global expertise, and trusted
partners when it matters most.”
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a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government
coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily
by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
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