What is Disease X? The pathogen world leaders are discussing at Davos 2024

Scientists are not sitting idle. They are actively working on platform technologies that could be rapidly adapted to combat Disease X.

As the world grapples with the aftermath of Covid-19, scientists and global leaders are turning their attention to a mysterious and potentially more devastating threat: Disease X.

This hypothetical pathogen represents the unknown, a stand-in for any new, unforeseen infectious disease that could lead to a future pandemic.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has placed Disease X alongside other high-priority diseases such as Ebola and Zika virus in its awareness campaigns.

The term was coined to prompt the international community to prepare for the possibility of a pathogen that could cause an epidemic or pandemic more catastrophic than Covid-19, which has already claimed millions of lives and disrupted economies worldwide.

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In response to this looming threat, world leaders, including WHO Chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, are set to convene at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week to discuss strategies for tackling Disease X.

The session, titled "Preparing for Disease X," aims to explore novel efforts needed to prepare healthcare systems for multiple challenges ahead and to prevent the collapse of national healthcare infrastructures as witnessed during the 2020 crisis.

Scientists are not sitting idle. They are actively working on platform technologies that could be rapidly adapted to combat Disease X.

For instance, researchers from the University of Oxford are investigating how to modify the vaccine created for Covid-19 to address Disease X. They are also exploring how other vaccines could be developed quickly to counter future threats.

The WHO has emphasised the importance of early cross-cutting research and development preparedness that is relevant for Disease X.

The discussions in Davos will likely focus on strengthening international cooperation, coordination, governance, and investment to prevent a repeat of the health and socioeconomic impacts caused by pandemics like COVID-19. W

With the establishment of entities such as the Pandemic Fund and the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence, the groundwork for a safer world is being laid.

While the WHO has yet to specify which virus Disease X might be, experts say it is highly likely to be a respiratory virus because survival rates for these are the highest.

With the establishment of entities such as the Pandemic Fund and the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence, the groundwork for a safer world is being laid.

With the establishment of entities such as the Pandemic Fund and the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence, the groundwork for a safer world is being laid. (Photo: Getty Images)

The WHO has created an R&D blueprint for many priority diseases. If they mutate to become more contagious and deadly, any of them could become Disease X.

The current list of major zoonotic viruses that threaten us includes Covid-19, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, Ebola, Marburg, Lassa fever, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and SARS, Nipah and henipaviral diseases, Rift Valley Fever and Zika. All these have been discovered in India as well.

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