Disease X : A Potential New Pandemic, WHO Warning And Impact on World

We all remember COVID-19, and its impact on us will last a long time. A lot of people lost their loved ones and many are still struggling with the aftereffects. WHO has released a notification that has created a wave of shock in the whole world. A Potential New Pandemic Disease X.

According to global health specialists, a bigger danger is coming with more complications. The estimated deaths from this pandemic are going to be 50 million, according to Dame Kate Bingham, Head of the UK’s Vaccine Task Force.

Currently, this disease is known as Disease X and may cause great loss to mankind. This might be a great challenge for the world and health officials to protect the population.

What Is Disease X?

According to the WHO, the disease X is similar to the Spanish flu. The impact may be similar to the pandemic that occurred during the years 1918–1920. The system needs to prepare with better precautionary measures and vaccines to face the situation.

WHO Warning on Disease X?

A warning was issued on WHO’s official website, which states that it “represents the knowledge that a serious international epidemic could be caused by a pathogen currently unknown to cause human disease.”

The agent can be anything—a bacterium, virus, or fungus—that is completely unknown to us. We don’t know any character about it and it can create chaos. They named this disease X.

They started collecting data for such pathogens in 2018 and have used the term disease X since then. The list included 25 families of viruses and bacteria along with this disease.

What is on the List Issued By WHO?

In 2017, the WHO started maintaining a list of diseases that need research and development. The diseases combined in this list need immediate attention and their vaccines and cures are a priority. The present list includes the following diseases:

At present, the priority diseases are:

• COVID-19
• Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever
• Ebola virus disease and Marburg virus disease
• Lassa fever
• Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
• Nipah and henipaviral diseases
• Rift Valley fever
• Zika
• And Disease X

The scientists are researching the possible pathogens to develop a vaccine or treatment for them. By doing so, we can reduce the impact and save people from death.

Out of all the listed diseases, disease X is the most dangerous due to its unknown characteristics. It’s predicted that it can cause more harm than COVID-19, as we don’t know anything about the pathogen that will cause the disease.

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What is WHO’s Blueprint?

The scientists at WHO are developing potential vaccines, medicines, and other treatments for various possible genetic combinations of different pathogens. This can be helpful when an unwanted disease comes into existence, like disease X, as they can modify the sequence, especially of the vaccine and this can help to minimize the impact.

R&D is a step towards a process to prepare the world for a pandemic or sudden outburst caused by pathogens. Our lives are important and their prevention is what WHO thinks about. The disease may cause destruction which is the biggest of its kind. Therefore, WHO wants everyone to be prepared to face the situation.

This blueprint came into existence during the Ebola virus breakdown in 2014.

What Causes A Disease Like ‘Disease X’?

Pathogens like bacteria, virus or fungi are the cause of disease. For the pathogens we know, we have developed treatments that can be easily controlled.

The concern arises when a new pathogen is discovered, causing a new disease with different or similar symptoms as the known pathogens. The same situation occurred during COVID-19. The pathogen was new and the spread was very fast. There was no medication and this caused a pandemic-like situation in which many people lost their lives.

The prediction is that disease X will be spread by a new pathogen, which will challenge the health system again.

Why is Disease X a Concern?

Imagine you don’t know anything about your enemy and it will enter your system to corrupt it. Everywhere there is destruction and you are clueless about how you will deal with the destruction going on.

The same situation may arise when an unknown and completely new organism enters our body and starts destroying it. Your immune system does not recognize it and needs time to fight. The young people with strong immune systems will overcome but the elders and small children will be on the verge of death.

The scientists will need time to study the organism, compare the symptoms and develop a vaccine and other treatments. This is the reason such a new disease like Disease X is a concern.

What Is The Impact of Disease X on The World?

The answer to this question is just an assumption because we do not know anything about the organism or what new symptoms and effects it will have on us. But yes, if such a situation occurs, it will cause a lot of chaos in the world.

What our health experts are doing is not the best way to prevent the pandemic, but it can minimize its impact on us and the entire world.

Talking about the economy, it may be an influence that will push them 100 or 150 years back. The impact of such a pandemic may create a lot of trouble for the economies of various countries. We know that various countries are still struggling due to COVID-19 losses; a bigger pandemic may ruin the whole economy.

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Conclusion

The world is still in shock and even after 3 years of COVID-19, we are still trying to bring life back on track. Many children lost their parents and vice versa. The pandemic does not have a negative side. During this pandemic, we also saw how medical and healthcare teams were working day and night to protect people without considering their lives.

These pandemics are unavoidable but our efforts and precautionary measures can help. This will actually reduce the risk, and we will also be able to prevent the loss of precious human life.

WHO warned against disease X—not to be afraid but to know that they are trying to save us. We also need to prepare ourselves for such situations, and we can also contribute a little to their efforts.

There is always a saying that prevention is better than cure. Preparation beforehand is always the best we can do. Do not be afraid but be attentive.