On Wednesday, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) marked the one-year anniversary of the federal government announcing their intent to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO). IDPH released a statement saying the withdrawal, which the federal government recently finalized, will disrupt long-standing systems for global disease detection, emergency coordination, and the rapid sharing of life-saving health information.
IDPH outlined steps that have been taken over the last year to protect Illinois residents from the increased risks created by reduced global health coordination:
- IDPH convened a Global Health Advisory Committee, bringing together leading experts from Illinois universities to work on strategies to respond to global health threats.
- Illinois joined GovAct’s Governors Public Health Alliance, a multistate coalition committed to strengthening public health preparedness and ensuring states can collaborate directly when federal coordination is limited.
- IDPH is making preparations to join the WHO Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN). Participation in GOARN will allow Illinois to maintain critical ties to global surveillance and outbreak response efforts, even as federal engagement changes.
In December 2025, Governor Pritzker signed HB 767 into law, which gave IDPH the ability to offer science-based vaccine guidelines through the Illinois Immunization Advisory Committee (IL-IAC). The legislation requires state-regulated insurance plans to cover vaccines recommended by IDPH.
IDPH states that as public health policies continue to evolve, the department remains committed to finding practical, locally driven solutions to protect residents.
