Polis Moves Colorado Into WHO Network After US Withdrawal

By Óscar Contreras | Denver7

DENVER — Colorado has been accepted into a network of more than 360 institutions as the state seeks to stay ahead of emerging public health threats following the withdrawal of the U.S. from the World Health Organization earlier this year.

“We are thrilled to join the World Health Organization’s GOARN network, especially during a time when federal public health guidance is becoming less consistent,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement Wednesday. “Disease does not stop at borders, and this partnership helps ensure Colorado is better prepared to protect people and respond quickly to emerging threats.”

The WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert Response Network, or GOARN, is a global partnership established by the international public health body at the turn of the millennium that pools resources and expertise from hundreds of institutions “for rapid identification, confirmation of and response to public health emergencies of international importance.”

Among some of its notable recent deployments, GOARN has assisted in the response to Ebola outbreaks in western Africa, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ongoing monitoring of bird flu and cholera in several regions of the world.

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