Don’t panic! Disease X doesn’t exist yet—but it might one day. Disease The term was coined in 2017 and can be used to refer to a newly discovered pathogen or any known pathogen with newly acquired pandemic potential. By the latter definition, covid-19 is the first Disease X. But another disease may emerge in the future.
Why are people talking about it now?
The World Health Organization has been warning global leaders about the risks of future pandemics at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting. WHO chief says: ‘Some people say this could cause panic’ Tedros. “No. It’s better to anticipate what might happen – because it has happened many times in our history – and be prepared.”
What might the next disease X be?
We don’t know – that’s why it’s called “Disease X.” Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that, even before the covid-19 outbreak, had been viewed as major contenders for causing new pandemics. That’s because the novel coronavirus is not the first dangerous pathogen in this group. In 2002, another coronavirus began spreading in China. It caused a form of pneumonia called SARS, which killed about one in 10 people infected before strict infection control measures stopped its spread. Occasional outbreaks of another, more deadly coronavirus called Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) cause pneumonia and kill one in three people infected. However, recent research suggests that it would be difficult for SARS and MERS to cause new pandemics because almost everyone in the world now has antibodies against the virus that causes covid-19, and these antibodies appear to partially protect against large members of the coronavirus family. Most other pathogens.
Are there any other contenders with pandemic potential?
Many diseases, some well known and some less familiar, may pose a global threat. Influenza strains have caused multiple global pandemics in the past, including one of the deadliest outbreaks of all time, the 1918 “Spanish Flu.” A deadly strain of bird flu is currently sweeping the world, occasionally spreading from birds to mammals. Cause mass death. Just this week, it was blamed for the deaths of 17,000 elephant seal calves in Argentina last October. There are other contenders, such as Ebola (which can cause severe bleeding) and the mosquito-borne Zika virus (which, if contracted during pregnancy, can cause babies to be born with smaller heads).The World Health Organization has updated its List of pathogens with the greatest pandemic potential 2022.
What can we do to stop disease X?
There’s some good news: The covid-19 pandemic may make it easier to stop any future Disease X. Covid-19 has spurred the development of novel vaccine designs, including those that can be rapidly repurposed to target new pathogens. For example, it has led to the emergence of mRNA-based vaccines. The formula contains a small piece of genetic material that allows the body’s immune cells to produce the coronavirus “spike” protein, but it can be updated by simply rewriting the mRNA sequence, causing the cells to produce a different protein.
Is there anything else we can do to fight Disease X?
Tedros said that countries need to establish better early warning systems for new diseases, and health services also need to increase their ability to respond to unexpected surges in demand. “When hospitals exceeded their capacity (COVID-19), we lost a lot of people because we couldn’t manage them. There wasn’t enough space, there wasn’t enough oxygen.” Tedros said that in order to prevent the same thing from happening when Disease X breaks out circumstances, health services must be able to expand their capacity as needed. Fortunately, they can make these preparations without knowing exactly what disease X is. “Disease X is a placeholder,” he said. “No matter what the disease is, you can be prepared.”
