Disease X
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Disease X is a placeholder name adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO) for any new unknown pathogen that may cause disease and potentially an epidemic in the future.[1]
Adoption
Disease X was added to the WHO list of blueprint priority diseases as a "knowable unknown" on 7 February 2018.[2] The purpose of the placeholder is to acknowledge the potential for a new epidemic caused by an unknown pathogen and to prepare in advance for the R&D response.[3][4] The WHO's establishment of the term in February 2018 sparked media panic and speculation as to which diseases could qualify as "disease X",[5] despite the fact that the WHO established the term as a concept not referring to any one particular disease.[6] Mainstream media speculation included the idea that it could be created intentionally as a biological weapon. However, it is most likely to arise as a zoonotic infection.[7]
COVID-19
Since the 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak, experts speculated whether COVID-19 was disease X.[8][9] In February 2020, Marion Koopmans, Head of Viroscience at Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, and a member of the WHO's emergency committee wrote in Cell, "This outbreak is rapidly becoming the first true pandemic challenge that fits the disease X category".[10][11][12]
References
- ^ What is Disease X? WHO explains the origin of the term, retrieved 2020-01-18
- ^ Shaikh, Alanna; Nuki, Paul (2019-07-22). "What is 'Disease X', the mystery killer keeping scientists awake?". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
- ^ Bruce Y. Lee (March 10, 2018). "Disease X is what may Become the Biggest Infectious Threat to our World". Forbes. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
- ^ "WHO | List of Blueprint priority diseases". WHO. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
- ^ "Is a "Global Village" a Pandemic Waiting to Happen?". Freethink. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
- ^ Miller, Korin (2018-03-12). "Disease X Might Cause The Next Big Global Epidemic". Women's Health. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
- ^ Cousins, Sophie (2018-05-10). "WHO hedges its bets: the next global pandemic could be disease X". BMJ. 361. doi:10.1136/bmj.k2015. ISSN 0959-8138. PMID 29748222.
- ^ Peter Dasak (22 February 2020). "We Knew Disease X Was Coming. It's Here Now". New York Times. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
- ^ Gulland, Anne (2020-01-09). "Have Chinese researchers uncovered the new disease X?". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
- ^ Jason Gale (22 February 2020). "Coronavirus May Be 'Disease X' Health Experts Warned About". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
- ^ David Mercer (25 February 2020). "Coronavirus outbreak could be feared 'Disease X', says World Health Organisation adviser". Sky News. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
- ^ David Aaro (27 February 2020). "What is Disease X?". Fox News. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
External links
- Prioritizing diseases for research and development in emergency contexts World Health Organisation (2018)
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