'As dangerous as it sounds': Bill Gates on Trump's decision to halt WHO funding

Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates said that the US President Donald Trump's decision to withhold funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) pending a review of its handling of the coronavirus pandemic is "as dangerous as it sounds."

In a tweet on Wednesday, the Bill Gates said: "Their work is slowing the spread of Covid-19 and if that work is stopped no other organization can replace them. The world needs @WHO now more than ever."

The WHO declared coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern in late January and a week later.

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation pledged up to $100 million to help contain the outbreak. Those funds, the foundation said, would be used to help find a vaccine for the virus, limit its spread and improve detection and treatment.

About $20 million was directed toward groups including the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and WHO.

Gates has cautioned since March about the effects of delayed social distancing measures, urged the United States to implement a country-wide shutdown, saying a state-by-state strategy wouldn't work as effectively. He predicted the number of coronavirus cases will peak in late April.