WHO Includes ‘Disease X’ On Priority List To Highlight Global Need For Outbreak Preparedness For Unknown Threats

Forbes: Disease X Is What May Become The Biggest Infectious Threat To Our World
“…There is a high probability that the next big epidemic will come from a completely unexpected source, a pathogen that has not yet revealed itself. And as they say, the most dangerous enemy is the one that you don’t know…” (Lee, 3/10).

Newsweek: ‘Disease X’: The Mystery Malady That Could One Day Kill Millions
“A new global threat dubbed ‘Disease X’ has been added to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) list of maladies that could cause a worldwide epidemic — even though it doesn’t actually exist yet. The mysterious malady is meant to represent a ‘known unknown’ that could be created by biological mutation in the future, WHO said on its website…” (Da Silva, 3/11).

New York Post: ‘Disease X’ could be the world’s worst nightmare
“…By including this mystery killer on its ‘List of Blueprint priority diseases,’ along with eight better-known diseases such as MERS and Marburg virus, WHO was aiming to acknowledge that infectious diseases are unpredictable…” (Connelly, 3/10).

The Telegraph: Beware ‘Disease X’: the mystery killer keeping scientists awake at night
“…It has been included on the list not to terrify us, but to ensure that the global health community builds the resilience and capacity needed to tackle all threats — not just the predictable ones…” (Shaikh, 3/10).

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