Disease X

• At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a panel of health industry leaders discussed the importance of preplanning for the outbreak of a hypothetical “Disease X”.

About Disease X

• Disease X is not a specific disease but is the name given to a potential novel infectious agent.
• It represents an illness which is currently unknown but could pose a serious microbial threat to humans in the future.
• It is necessary to be prepared because there is a vast reservoir of viruses circulating among wildlife which could become a source of a new infectious disease to which humans do not have immunity.
• In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) added Disease X to a list of pathogens that are a top priority for research, alongside known killers like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Ebola.
• The WHO has warned that Disease X could result in 20 times more fatalities than COVID-19.