During the recent World Economic Forum, the World Health Organization (WHO) delivered a warning to global leaders, cautioning that the world could potentially face a pandemic 20 times more severe than COVID-19 in the future.
Referred to as Disease X, scientists conceptualize it as the next global pandemic arising from an unknown pathogen rather than the spread of a presently identified disease.
In a session held by the WHO last week, scientists urged world leaders to collaborate on developing strategies to prevent or manage a potential Disease X pandemic in the future.
It is essential to note that Disease X is a hypothetical concept and not an actual threat. Coined by the WHO in 2018, the term serves as a planning tool for anticipating and addressing future health crises.
During a World Economic Forum panel titled “Preparing for Disease X,” global healthcare experts discussed various aspects, including the need for improved communication strategies to counter misinformation and conspiracy theories. Some individuals, using platforms like Twitter (formerly known as X), labeled the session itself as a conspiracy against freedom.
Scientists highlighted that the most probable cause of Disease X would be a respiratory virus, potentially originating from animals and not yet transmitted to humans. The WHO emphasized the importance of preparedness, warning that a Disease X pandemic, without adequate measures, could result in more significant damage than COVID-19, which has claimed over 7 million lives worldwide.
