Today is #WorldHealthDay through the World Health Organization with a #StandWithScience call to action. Though no longer a member, we can still review the prior annual #ROI to US citizens.
Without #WHO coordination, outbreaks of disease, illness, and unnecessary death can lead to:
– Export harm: Billions of dollars in decreased demand for US goods due to potentially uncontained outbreaks (In an NIH study, a 9-country uncontained outbreak that never entered the US would lead to an $18 billion drop in US exports)
– Job losses due to harm of export activity (in the same NIH study, 1.4 million US jobs related to exports would be at risk)
– Inflation due to supply chain shocks (even outbreaks near foreign ports lead to an amplified ripple effect).
– Illness & caregiving reduce global productivity, slowing outputs that affect US companies relying on it.
Here is what the US received when we were a member:
+ A $54 return for every $1 spent on global vaccinations. Caregiving costs, hospital bills, and disposable income to buy US goods.
+ A $16 return for every $1 spent on crisis prevention using a central body like #WHO to coordinate response, information, action and avoidance of harm to US shores.
+A $7 return for every $1 spent on treatment of chronic disease, with higher productivity and longer health spans of global workers.
We paid mandatory annual dues of $111 million (average), or 32 cents per US citizen. Each US citizen saw an ROI of $2.80, before the home-shore rebate of public health R&D going to US jobs and studies and then deployed to the global network. Also before the inflation avoidance that global outbreaks can bring (25% of US inflation in 2021-2022 was tied to global supply chain issues); the last two are $1.60 for a total of $4.40.
For 32 cents, a $2.80 ROI per citizen at minimum, or 775%.
For 32 cents, a $4.40 ROI per citizen at maximum, or 1,275%.
Wow! It paid to #StandWithScience. What do you think?
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