President Jair Bolsonaro. Photo: Marcos Côrrea/PR
Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s lead, Brazil is considering leaving the World Health Organization (WHO). On Friday, President Jair Bolsonaro accused the organization of acting in a “political,” “partisan,” and “ideological” manner, and said his country could leave the organization if that does not change.
“The U.S. has left the WHO … in the future, either the WHO works without an ideology or we leave it too,” said the president. “We do not need foreigners sticking their noses into the health situation here.”
The declaration came one day after the Pan American Health Organization — of which the WHO is a parent organization — notified Brazil about a late payment of USD 24.2 million. The amount concerns fees related to the country’s participation in the organization, which have not been paid since 2019.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Brazil has followed the U.S.’s stance on several issues. For instance, Mr. Bolsonaro and his American counterpart are boisterous about the potential of chloroquine as a Covid-19 treatment, despite a lack of scientific evidence regarding its efficacy. However, Mr. Trump has distanced himself from Brazil, after imposing a travel ban on the country last week. Yesterday, he claimed that the South American country is having a “very bad time.”
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