What is disease ‘X’ and why will it be discussed at Davos?

in Davos, Switzerland World Economic Forum World leaders gathering for the World Health Organization (WHO) this week will discuss concerns about the possibility of a future pandemic, which could cause up to 20 times more deaths than Covid-19.

World Health Organization According to the (WHO), the disease’s fictitious name is ‘X’, a term being used to plan for a future fictitious international epidemic, caused by a pathogen (disease-causing microbe). It is from

The WEF said a panel led by WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a session titled ‘Preparing to fight disease’ discussed the ‘necessary to prepare health systems for the many challenges of the future’. will talk about ‘efforts’.

WHO has designated disease ‘X’ as a priority disease along with Covid-19, Ebola virus, Zika virus, Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). .

Disease X was added to the list in 2018, when the WHO tried to start discussions on how to deal with future global pandemics.

WHO prioritizes research and development in the emergency context for all these diseases, stating that the Blueprint ‘clearly calls for advanced research and development (R&D) to be in place in advance, related to an unknown The disease is also from X.’

Earlier, WHO said in a statement that ‘the number of potential pathogens worldwide is high while resources for disease R&D are limited.’

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In the session held last Wednesday, Dr. Tedros included Brazilian Health Minister Nicia Trendade Lima, Chairman of the Board of Pharmaceutical Company AstraZeneca Michael Demarre, CEO of Royal Philips Roy Jacobs and Executive Vice Chair of Indian Hospital Chain Apollo Preetha Reddy. Will participate.

It should be noted that scientists still do not know what type of virus may cause the next epidemic or in other words what this disease ‘X’ will be.

Many people believe it could be a coronavirus, such as SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes illness with Covid-19, or a new type of influenza.

According to Dr. Thomas Russo, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences: ‘This concept (of Disease X) was one of the lessons we learned from this (Covid) pandemic.’

He said: ‘As humans are breaking down barriers (between humans and other species) through live animal markets and deforestation, we need continued monitoring, studies and better biosecurity around the world.’

He warned that disease ‘X’ could be a completely new bacterium which is not yet known even in animals.

Preparing for the next pandemic and working to prevent national health infrastructure from failing, as seen in many countries in 2020, has now become a key objective for WHO.

A vaccine for a new virus with pandemic potential could be developed in 100 days, British scientists have said.

In August last year, researchers at the University of Oxford announced that they were examining how a vaccine developed for Covid-19 could be used against Disease X. They will also examine how other vaccines can be developed to thwart future threats.

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#disease #discussed #Davos
2024-08-23 11:47:10

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