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What is 'Disease X'? Experts Warn of Potential Deadlier Pandemic

What is 'Disease X'? Experts Warn of Potential Deadlier Pandemic
Published 2 years ago on May 26, 2023

While most of the diseases on the list are already known to us, such as Ebola, SARS, and Zika, there is one entry that stands out with a chilling name: "Disease X."

The term Disease X is used by the WHO as a placeholder to describe a disease that is currently unknown to medical science as a cause of human infections. If such a disease emerges, whether it's a virus, bacterium, fungus, or another agent, there is likely to be a lack of vaccines or effective treatments available.

"This isn't just the stuff of science fiction," warns Dr. Richard Hatchett of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. "This is a scenario we have to prepare for. This is Disease X."

The WHO introduced the term Disease X in 2018, and just a year later, the world experienced the devastating COVID-19 pandemic caused by a new virus. This event highlighted the real potential for Disease X to become a reality.

"There is a genuine potential for a Disease X event to occur in the near future," says Dr. Pranab Chatterjee, a researcher at the Department of International Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He points to recent cases of H5N1 bird flu in Cambodia as evidence of this potential.

Many public health experts believe that the next Disease X will be zoonotic, originating in wild or domestic animals before crossing over to infect humans, similar to Ebola, HIV/AIDS, and COVID-19. However, there are other sources of diseases to consider, including the possibility of bioterrorism as a cause of the next pandemic.

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While most of the diseases on the list are already known to us, such as Ebola, SARS, and Zika, there is one entry that stands out with a chilling name: "Disease X."

The term Disease X is used by the WHO as a placeholder to describe a disease that is currently unknown to medical science as a cause of human infections. If such a disease emerges, whether it's a virus, bacterium, fungus, or another agent, there is likely to be a lack of vaccines or effective treatments available.

"This isn't just the stuff of science fiction," warns Dr. Richard Hatchett of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. "This is a scenario we have to prepare for. This is Disease X."

The WHO introduced the term Disease X in 2018, and just a year later, the world experienced the devastating COVID-19 pandemic caused by a new virus. This event highlighted the real potential for Disease X to become a reality.

"There is a genuine potential for a Disease X event to occur in the near future," says Dr. Pranab Chatterjee, a researcher at the Department of International Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He points to recent cases of H5N1 bird flu in Cambodia as evidence of this potential.

Many public health experts believe that the next Disease X will be zoonotic, originating in wild or domestic animals before crossing over to infect humans, similar to Ebola, HIV/AIDS, and COVID-19. However, there are other sources of diseases to consider, including the possibility of bioterrorism as a cause of the next pandemic.

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