Pakistan, March 30 -- The World Health Organization is bracing for a major funding shortfall. With the United States pulling its voluntary contributions, WHO is now planning to cut its global budget by 21%. That's over a billion dollars gone. Just like that. For wealthier countries, this might be a bureaucratic shuffle. For nations like Pakistan, it's a potential disaster.

We know what happens when WHO support dries up because we've seen what happens when it's there. Every time a polio campaign launches in Pakistan, more than 40 million children are vaccinated, many in hard-to-reach or conflict-affected areas. That massive effort is backed by WHO coordination, field presence, and funding. When floods strike, when outbreaks spread, when h...