Illinois Joins the WHO’s Global Outbreak Response Network

On Tuesday, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced the state is joining the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), a coordinated international network dedicated to monitoring and responding to global disease outbreaks. This move makes Illinois the second state to join the network, following California’s announcement last month.

As a result of President Trump’s withdrawal of the United States from the WHO, Illinois will now be directly connected to global alerts, expert public health networks, and international response capabilities essential to protecting Illinois residents from emerging disease threats. ​

“By withdrawing from the World Health Organization, Donald Trump has undermined science and weakened our nation’s ability to detect and respond to global health threats. I refuse to sit idly by and let that happen,” said Governor Pritzker. “By joining the World Health Organization’s coordinated network, GOARN, we are ensuring that our public health leaders–and the public–have the information, expertise, and partnerships they need to protect the people of our state. Across our state and alongside valued partners around the world, Illinois will continue to put science, preparedness, and people first.”

The outbreak response network, GOARN, is a WHO-coordinated, worldwide partnership of hundreds of public health institutions, national governments, academic centers, laboratories, and response organizations focused on rapidly detecting and responding to emerging public health threats. Membership in this network strengthens Illinois’ preparedness for future pandemics and emerging threats. It also complements the Illinois Department of Public Health’s (IDPH) ongoing coordination with U.S. public-health partners, fortifying response efforts at home while gaining access to global expertise and real-time outbreak intelligence.

By joining the network, Illinois will benefit from WHO membership resources, including:

• Direct access to global early-warning alerts and outbreak intelligence.
• Opportunities for technical collaboration and surge support during major public health events.
• Participation in international training, exercises, and best-practice exchanges.
• Stronger coordination between state-level public health systems and global response efforts.

Illinois already brings state resources, experience, and other advantages to GOARN:

• Strong epidemiologic and laboratory capacity, including expanded genomic sequencing and wastewater surveillance built during COVID-19.
• Rapid deployment expertise supporting outbreak investigations, infection prevention, and risk communication.
• Experience sharing data, expertise, and lessons learned with local, state, federal, academic, and international partners.

As CMM previously reported, in October 2025, Governor Pritzker joined the Governors Public Health Alliance, a coalition of 15 governors committed to countering the Trump Administration’s dismantling of America’s public health infrastructure. Following President Trump’s withdrawal from WHO, the Alliance announced a new coordinated effort with Boston University’s Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases to use information from BEACON—the Biothreats Emergence, Analysis, and Communications Network—for disease tracking and to inform coordinated responses.

Additionally, Illinois will continue to convene its Global Health Advisory Committee, which brings together leading experts from world-class Illinois institutions to ensure the state benefits from the best available scientific insight and international health intelligence.

Governor Pritzker also signed key legislation that empowers IDPH to offer vaccine guidance through the Immunization Advisory Committee (IAC), reinforcing science-based public health policy and countering misinformation that threatens community health. As CMM previously reported, the American Academy of Pediatrics also published recommendations for immunizations that differ from a schedule recently issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.