Disease X, first classified as a “placeholder” term in 2018 by the World Health Organization (WHO), is unknown and does not currently exist but represents a hypothetical novel infectious agent that could cause a serious international pandemic. A deadly pathogen like Disease X, likely a respiratory virus, could be circulating in animal species, posing a threat if it gains the ability to transmit to humans.
For research and development, the WHO classifies it among high-priority diseases such as Ebola and Zika, aiming to proactively plan to combat such a virus and prepare the global health system for a potential pandemic. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus suggested that COVID-19 might have been the first “Disease X,” highlighting the issues encountered during the pandemic and the need to learn from that experience.
The WHO cautions that Disease X might lead to casualties 20 times higher than those caused by COVID-19. With COVID-19 claiming about seven million lives globally, health experts in 2023 warned that a potential new pandemic could be more lethal, estimating a death toll of around 50 million worldwide.
What was the Disease X Panel in World Economic Forum’s Meeting held at Davos?
All the views and opinions expressed are those of the author. Image Credit – Vox.
About the Author
Mareike Warmboldt is a staff writer at The Viyug. She is currently pursuing Bachelor of Arts (BA) in International/Global Studies at Leiden University, The Netherlands. She has been awarded the LUSTRA+ scholarship and undergoing an exchange semester outside of Europe at Thammasat University at Bangkok, Thailand. She was part of a project titled “Untraffick” that focused on future aspects of human security and global justice.
