The World Health Organization (WHO) is set to attend a meeting at the World Economic Forum to discuss preparations for a potential pandemic caused by an unknown condition. The meeting, titled “Prepare for disease,” will specifically address the concept of “Disease X,” which represents a hypothetical unknown threat intended to encourage the development of countermeasures.
According to Forbes Colombia, the WHO has warned that Disease X has the potential to cause 20 times more deaths than the current pandemic. This alarming prediction has prompted the global health community to consider the possibility of a future pandemic triggered by unknown bacteria or viruses.
The meeting will bring together experts and leaders in the healthcare and medical industry, including WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom, Shyam Bishen from the World Economic Forum, Roy Jacobs of Royal Phillips, Preetha Reddy from Apollo Hospital Enterprise Ltd., Nisia Trindade Lima, the Minister of Health of Brazil, and Michel Demaré, chairman of the board of directors of AstraZeneca PLC.
While Disease X has been on the WHO’s list of “priority diseases for research and development in emergency contexts” since 2018, it is essential to note that this concept is purely hypothetical and does not point to any specific disease at this time.
In other news, the WHO has also activated an alert due to an Anthrax virus outbreak, underscoring the ongoing challenges and risks posed by infectious diseases on a global scale. This meeting serves as a timely reminder of the critical importance of preparing health systems for potential future pandemics and the need for collective efforts to face these challenges.