Is coronavirus killing the World Health Organisation?

On Tuesday, President Trump formally began the process of pulling the United States out of the World Health Organisation, having accused the organisation of not holding the Chinese government to account for its handling of the coronavirus. The withdrawal would not go into effect until next July. But the prospect of losing the United States as a member, far and away the WHO’s largest donor, is a big blow to the organisation, and comes just a day after 239 scientists in 39 countries wrote an open letter claiming its guidance on airborne transmission was outdated. Trump’s criticisms of the WHO may be hypocritical, but many public-health experts and journalists say they are not entirely...