As per WHO’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the world is ill-prepared for “Disease X” – a concept introduced in 2018 by the UN agency to depict a hypothetical pathogen that could trigger the next pandemic. While it’s yet to be discovered, the mere speculation of its existence has ignited a frenzy on social media.
What is disease X?
“Disease X” remains an enigma – with unknown symptoms, transmission rates, and pathogen type. However, experts fear its potential impact, estimating it could be 20 times deadlier than the COVID-19 pandemic. The WHO has placed it on the priority list of diseases, alongside threats like SARS, Ebola, and Zika.
Leading scientists, including Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert from the University of Oxford’s Pandemic Sciences Institute, suggest “Disease X” could be a zoonotic virus – one that jumps from animals to humans. This poses a significant risk to global health, according to John-Arne Røttingen, a Norwegian scientist advising the WHO.
Climate change exacerbates this risk, potentially facilitating zoonotic transmission. Warming climates and habitat destruction could create ideal conditions for the spread of mosquito-borne viruses, increasing human-animal interactions. The WHO predicts “Disease X” is likely to emerge in tropical regions, especially in low or middle-income countries already affected by climate change.
With the WHO set to update its list of priority diseases later this year, understanding and preparing for “Disease X” remains a crucial endeavor in global health security.
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