Disease X

Disease X
Disease X link
	File:Disease X.jpeg Aeromedical isolation team members.
Start	2017
	Continuation of COVID-19, or worse.

Disease X is a term used by the WHO to represent a hypothetical, unknown disease that could cause a future epidemic or pandemic. It is a placeholder name given to a potential new disease that may emerge and pose a significant public health threat.

The WHO added Disease X in 2017 to a short list of pathogens deemed a top priority for research,^[2]^[3] alongside:

COVID-19
Crimean-Cong haemorrhagic fever
Ebola virus disease
Marburg virus disease
Lassa fever
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
Nipah and henipaviral diseases
Rift Valley fever
Zika

Covid-19 was an example of a Disease X when it was declared a pandemic at the end of 2019. The vast reservoir of viruses circulating in wildlife are seen as a likely source of more such diseases. That’s because of their potential to spill over and infect other species, including humans, giving rise to an infection against which people will have no immunity.^[4]

References

[1] ttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aeromedical_isolation_team_members_in_field-protective_suits.jpg

[2] ttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-15/what-is-disease-x-how-scientists-are-preparing-for-the-next-pandemic

[3] ttps://www.who.int/news/item/21-11-2022-who-to-identify-pathogens-that-could-cause-future-outbreaks-and-pandemics

[4] ttps://www.unmc.edu/healthsecurity/transmission/2023/09/27/what-is-disease-x-how-scientists-are-preparing-for-the-next-pandemic/

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