Colorado Seeks WHO Outbreak Network Membership After US Withdrawal

State leaders aim to maintain access to global health data and early warning systems.

Published on Feb. 27, 2026

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Now that the U.S. has officially withdrawn from the World Health Organization (WHO), Colorado is taking steps to join the WHO's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network as an individual state. Governor Jared Polis and State Epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy say this is necessary for Colorado to continue monitoring emerging health threats, get early warnings of outbreaks, and coordinate response efforts - even without the U.S. participating in the WHO.

Why it matters

Health issues are global in nature, and Colorado wants to ensure it can still access real-time information and early warnings about disease outbreaks, variants, and other public health threats, despite the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO. This will allow the state to better prepare, monitor, and respond to protect the health of Coloradans.

The details

After the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the country's withdrawal from the WHO in 2026, citing failures in the organization's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, Colorado has officially applied to join the WHO's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network as an individual state. This will give Colorado direct access to the WHO's disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, and emergency response coordination, which the state says is crucial for issues like the ongoing avian flu outbreak that has already impacted poultry and some humans in Colorado.

  • In January 2026, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the country's withdrawal from the World Health Organization.
  • Since then, Colorado has officially applied to join the WHO's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network as an individual state.

The players

Jared Polis

The Governor of Colorado.

Dr. Rachel Herlihy

The State Epidemiologist of Colorado.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

The federal agency that announced the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization.

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What they’re saying

“Health is really global, and when there's a disease outbreak somewhere, we need to know exactly what to look for in real time, how to control it and how to prevent it from hurting Coloradans.”

— Jared Polis, Governor of Colorado (denver7.com)

“Some examples of how we would use that lead time would include things like establishing traveler monitoring systems. So, if we know that we have returned travelers coming to Colorado from an area of the globe that's being affected — and this is something we did during the Ebola responses multiple times — we would establish those systems.”

— Dr. Rachel Herlihy, State Epidemiologist of Colorado (denver7.com)

What’s next

Colorado is expecting a quick response on whether its application to join the WHO's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network will be accepted. Other states like California and Illinois are also taking steps to join the network independently.

The takeaway

By seeking direct membership in the WHO's global disease surveillance and response network, Colorado is taking proactive steps to maintain access to critical public health information and coordination, even as the United States has withdrawn from the World Health Organization. This highlights the importance of global health cooperation, especially for addressing emerging infectious disease threats.