The hypothetical outbreak, which has been nicknamed ‘Disease X’ by the World Health Organisation (WHO), could erupt unexpectedly, scientists have warned. And with a mysterious disease affecting tens of people in China, some experts fear the worst. The illness, a pneumonia of unknown origin, was first reported on New Year’s Eve in Wuhan City in Hubei Province.
As of January 3, a total of 59 patients have been reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by the national authorities in China.
Experts have ruled out another outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) which infected about 8,000 people in 2003, leaving researchers stumped.
Gauden Galea, the WHO Representative to China, said: “Further investigations are required to determine the source, modes of transmission.”
James Wilson, a paediatrician who has helped monitor health security threats for 25 years, told Business Times: “Disease X is one of the key health security risks in today’s world, and a priority for global monitoring.”
The hypothesised Disease X has the potential to creep up on humanity and wipe out large swathes of the population in a similar fashion to the Spanish Flu, which killed off five percent of the global population, and Russian Flu, which wiped out a million Europeans.
Last year, WHO declared Disease X is one of the great potential risks to life and a top priority for research.
Scientists have made strides in trying to uncover the unknown and discovered two new viruses in Myanmarese bats.
The viruses which were discovered belonged to the coronavirus family which have already caused two outbreaks on Earth.
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“Our concern is that if you use the forest for roads and agriculture you disrupt the ecosystem. Animals will leave the forest and be exposed to humans.”
The Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has urged world leaders to invest more in Disease X research or face global catastrophe.
CEPI CEO Richard Hatchett said: “We can be sure that another epidemic is on the horizon.
“It is not a case of if, but when. We need to be prepared. We need to invest in platform technologies that can be used to quickly respond to the emergence of a pathogen with epidemic potential.”
