If you haven’t heard of Disease X you need to be read this. Disease X is a ‘known unknown,’ it is a threat that is not existent at the moment but should be prepared for.
I know this sounds a bit confusing but it is basically a representation of the idea that a serious international epidemic could be caused by a pathogen that we do not know of. This mystery killer was included on the “List of Blueprint Priority Diseases” as per the organization World Health Organization along with about 80 more well-known diseases.
According to WHO the idea of ‘Disease X’ is not to scare people, they said as follows:
“The intensity of animal and human contact is becoming greater as the world develops. This makes it more likely new diseases will emerge, but also modern travel and trade make it much more likely they will spread.”
They also mentioned that bio-weapons could also be a risk surrounding this whole possible ordeal in the future. As we know already North Korea is already more than capable. Disease X could even be something hiding where we already see it but are not aware. It could come from the evolution of an existing disease. There are tons of places an international epidemic could be waiting to unfold.
While this kind of thing has been considered before now is the first time it has made the list. This list was released just weeks ago and has people everywhere talking. This threat seems more real now than it ever has as the ways in which it could flourish are increasing.
The Telegraph reported as follows on Disease X:
Disease X is not a newly identified pathogen but what military planners call a “known unknown”. It’s a disease sparked by a biological mutation, or perhaps an accident or terror attack, that catches the world by surprise and spreads fast.
By including it on the list, the WHO is acknowledging that infectious diseases and the epidemics they spawn are inherently unpredictable. Like the Spanish flu which killed 50m to 100m people between 1918 and 1920, Disease X is the catastrophe nobody saw coming until it was too late.
“Disease X represents the knowledge that a serious international epidemic could be caused by a pathogen currently unknown,” says the WHO.
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.
When it comes to battling a disease that we aren’t even aware of just yet being prepared does not seem all that easy now does it? This basically means we need to create our own ‘unknown’ in order to work on cures, right? You can learn more about this in the video below.
