Let Taiwan into the WHO

With all of the concern over bird flu and other pandemic diseases like SARS that originate in Asia, you would think that the US would work to plug a giant gap in the global health shield against these outbreaks. The World Health Organization (WHO) has routinely denied a nation with 23 million people access, even as an observer member, to WHO events like the upcoming May conference in Geneva, or next week's Avian Flu summit in Beijing. That nation is Taiwan.

Regardless what your position may be on the China-Taiwan issue, you can't help but recognize that the WHO's failure to include Taiwan could result in a critical missed step in any global pandemic. The capital of Taiwan, Taipei is a cosmopolitan hub of several million people, with flights coming and going all over the world. If an outbreak took place in Hong Kong, Taiwan is likely one of the first places that would be infected. With the current system that is in place, the WHO would need Beijing's approval to go into Taiwan, a process that could take critical hours or days, permitting an epidemic to take place. Moreover, by being shut out of these meetings, Taiwan could miss out on critical information sharing on different diseases, creating a weak spot in the global front against disease.

If you think this is far-fetched, you're wrong. I was living in Taiwan during the 9/21 earthquake, a 7.6 monster that killed 2,500 people in modern urban buildings. It is well documented that China refused several countries' requests to aid the island and blocked access of WHO experts from disaster scenes.

Taiwan is seeking access to the WHO, not as a full member, which might cause political problems with Beijing, but only as an observer, which is the same status aS Palestine.

By routinely shutting out Taiwan, both from access to aid, and from providing aid to other nations, like the South Asia earthquake last year, China has proven that it is no friend of global health. Moreover, China has routinely lied about disease outbreaks like AIDS, SARS and Bird Flu. Why would we bow to Beijing's demands on health issues when they have proven themselves so dangerously irresponsible in looking after their own people?

A bi-partisan group in Congress is leading an effort to attempt to get the Bush administration to put pressure on the Chinese to allow this to happen. Last year's efforts failed. The Congressional Taiwan Caucus is 150 members strong. I would urge you to visit their bi-partisan member list to see if your legislator is a member. If so, please write them to let them know you support Taiwan's application as an observer member to the WHO. If not, then let your representatives and senators know that you want to plug a critical hole in the global health network by allowing Taiwan observer status in the WHO.