Are you getting bored of listening to the exact same song and dance numbers over and over again? Are the old “viral” bands just not doing it for you anymore? Are you looking for something new and mysterious to come along in order to spice things up a bit and reignite the dwindling levels of fear? If so, then you are in luck as there is a brand new “viral” sensation headed your way!
Introducing Disease X!
“An old adage says, “Prevention is better than cure.” Nothing exemplifies this idea better than “Disease X.” According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Disease X represents the knowledge that a serious international epidemic could be caused by a pathogen currently unknown to cause human disease.”1
Richard Hatchett, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), said about Disease X, “It might sound like science fiction, but Disease X is something we must prepare for.”2 In a list of diseases that the WHO considers high priority in terms of research and development, Disease X occupies a spot among diseases such as Ebola, Zika, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).1Unexpected outbreaks of infectious disease (Disease X) have repeatedly rocked the medical confidence and have taken the medical world by surprise.3
Some experts have even commented that COVID-19, caused by severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), met the standards to be considered the first Disease X,4 while some authors have called Zika a Disease X.5However, one unfortunate possibility is that COVID-19 and other recent pandemics might have been milder versions of what will eventually be the most prominent Disease X.
Disease X is supposed to be caused by a “pathogen X.” Such a pathogen is expected to be a zoonosis, most likely an RNA virus, emerging from an area where the right mix of risk factors highly promotes the risk for sustained transmission.6
As can be seen, no one currently knows what Disease X truly is, and even though it is admitted that the emergence of Disease X sounds like science fiction, we must prepare for the arrival of this superstar on the world stage. When that will be, no one quite yet knows for sure. But rest assured, this disease, attributed to the unknown Pathogen X, will be the next big thing, and you better be prepared for this upcoming surefire rock legend that is primed to take the world by storm.
“Experts” are already calling for 50 million fans to succumb to the hard-hitting monster jams and powerful ballads of this enigmatic virtuoso. Not since the times of the breakout stardom of the Spanish Flu will the world have seen such a furious fan frenzy. In order to prepare for the eventual hysteria over the arrival of Disease X, plans are in place for mass vaccination drives so that fans are primed for the amazing tunes coming their way.
Disease X Could Bring Next Pandemic, Kill 50 Million People, Says Expert
Kate Bingham further said that scientists have identified 25 virus families, but there could be more than one million undiscovered variants.
A UK health expert has said that Disease X, the name given by World Health Organisation (WHO), can cause another pandemic deadlier than Covid-19. In an interview to Daily Mail, Kate Bingham, who served as the chair of the UK’s Vaccine Taskforce from May to December 2020, said the new virus could have a similar impact to the devastating Spanish Flu of 1919-1920. According to WHO, Disease X could be a new agent – a virus, a bacterium or fungus – without any known treatments.
Expressing her concern, Ms Bingham said, “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.”
If the world has to tackle the threat from Disease X, “the world will have to prepare for mass vaccination drives and deliver the doses in record time”, she told the Daily Mail.
Whatever you do, don’t go trying to track down Disease X for an autograph or solo performance just yet as there are more than one million “variants” from 25 different “viral” families that this exciting rockstar could be from. However, take comfort in the fact that Disease X is on the way, hiding somewhere in the world, replicating until ready to debut the signature symptoms that will set it apart from the rest of the crowd.
The expert further said that scientists have identified 25 virus families, but there could be more than one million undiscovered variants, which may be able to jump from one species to another.
“In a sense, we got lucky with Covid-19, despite the fact that it caused 20 million or more deaths across the world. The point is that the vast majority of people infected with the virus managed to recover… Imagine Disease X is as infectious as measles with the fatality rate of Ebola. Somewhere in the world, it’s replicating, and sooner or later, somebody will start feeling sick,” said Ms Bingham.
Ebola had a fatality rate of around 67 per cent, and she added that others like bird flu and MERS also killed a large number of people. “So we certainly can’t bank on the next pandemic being easily contained.”
For those who just can’t wait until Disease X finally graces us with its presence, let’s take a journey back in time and see if we can learn just a little bit more about the future legend-in-the-making. Let’s see if we can uncover the history of Disease X and try to read the tea leaves in order to find out when, where, and how this worldwide phenom will make its debut. Let’s look at the reasons for why Disease X is said to be coming to rescue us all from the doldrum tunes of yesterday. We will see if this really is a new star rising, or whether Disease X has already made an appearance before, making it nothing more than a cleverly disguised comeback tour that will be repeated ad nauseam.