Disease X can be next pandemic threat, potentially resulting in 50 million deaths: Expert

Disease X looming pandemic: A UK health expert has issued a stark warning about the potential emergence of "Disease X," a mysterious pathogen that could lead to a pandemic deadlier than Covid-19. Kate Bingham, who chaired the UK's Vaccine Taskforce from May to December 2020, expressed her concerns in an interview with the Daily Mail, drawing parallels with the devastating Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-1919. Disease X, as classified by the World Health Organization (WHO), represents a novel agent, whether viral, bacterial, or fungal, with no known treatments.

Ms. Bingham emphasised the severity of the threat, stating, "Let me put it this way: the 1918-19 flu pandemic killed at least 50 million people worldwide, twice as many as were killed in World War I. Today, we could expect a similar death toll from one of the many viruses that already exist."

To address the potential risk of Disease X, Ms. Bingham underscored the need for global preparedness, including mass vaccination campaigns conducted at unprecedented speed.

She also highlighted the vast number of virus families, with scientists having identified 25, but possibly over one million undiscovered variants that could cross species boundaries.

"In a sense, we got lucky with Covid-19, despite causing 20 million or more deaths worldwide. The majority of infected individuals managed to recover. Imagine Disease X being as infectious as measles but as deadly as Ebola. Somewhere in the world, it's replicating, and sooner or later, somebody will start feeling sick," cautioned Ms. Bingham.

Ebola, which exhibited a fatality rate of approximately 67 percent, and other viruses like bird flu and MERS have claimed numerous lives, making it unwise to assume that future pandemics will be easily contained.

Ms. Bingham also shed light on the reasons behind the increasing frequency of pandemics, attributing them to globalisation and urbanization. The modern world's interconnectedness and the concentration of populations in cities have led to close human contact, creating favorable conditions for the spread of pathogens. Moreover, deforestation, modern agricultural practices, and the degradation of wetlands have facilitated the transmission of viruses from animals to humans.

The concept of Disease X was introduced by the WHO in 2018 as a hypothetical scenario, representing the possibility of a severe international epidemic caused by an unknown pathogen. Little did the world know that, just a year later, Covid-19 would begin its global rampage.

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- With inputs from agencies

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