The director of the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a stark warning about the global unpreparedness for the potential of Disease X to turn into the next global pandemic.
According to health experts, there are concerns about a potential disease that, if it were to emerge, could have a significant impact, potentially surpassing the severity of the Covid pandemic.
In 2018, the UN Agency coined the term Disease X to describe a potential future pandemic. Although the disease is purely theoretical, very limited information is available about it.
Experts are experiencing anxiety due to the uncertainty surrounding important factors like symptoms, transmission speed, and potential fatalities in the outbreak of Disease X, a difficult global health concern.
This uncertainty is causing anxiety among experts. Disease X’s inclusion in the WHO’s list of priority diseases, alongside well-known illnesses such as SARS, Ebola, and Zika, is causing anxiety among experts due to the uncertainty surrounding the matter.
Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, principal investigator at the Pandemic Sciences Institute, University of Oxford, emphasizes Disease X as one of many pandemics under scrutiny by medical scientists.
Speculation about its zoonotic nature, transferring from animals to humans, raises concerns, with Professor Gilbert suggesting it could be an unknown entity yet to be discovered.
Norwegian scientist John-Arne Røttingen, an advisor to the WHO, highlights zoonotic viruses as a significant risk to global health.
Climate change is viewed as a potential accelerator for the development and spread of such diseases, driven by warmer temperatures and the habitat destruction that brings humans and animals into closer contact.
Disease X Threat in Vulnerable Nations
The WHO predicts that Disease X is more likely to emerge in lower-income countries with tropical climates, compounded by the profound impacts of climate change.
An upcoming update to the WHO’s priority disease list is anticipated, with Disease X among the concerns.
Preparing for potential outbreaks, Professor Dame Gilbert’s team focuses on processes involving virus emergence, vaccine and treatment development, data analysis, infectious disease surveillance, and ethical considerations for pandemic responses.
The Vaccine Development and Evaluation Centre, established in England in 2023, aspires to create vaccines rapidly, with a target of 100 days for development.
G7 countries support the “100 Days Mission,” investing in the facility to enhance preparedness for emerging pathogens.
During the discussions at The World Economic Forum, global leaders and experts are exploring topics such as Disease X, artificial intelligence, and climate change.
Despite the warnings of experts, there are current reservations surrounding Disease X, with some attributing it to a conspiracy theory.
Monica Crowley, a former Republican politician, and Alex Jones, a podcast host, express their suspicions about the concept of Disease X, suggesting that there may be hidden motives at play.
