NEW DELHI: Scientists who helped discover the Ebola virus in 1976 have warned against an unknown number of new and potentially fatal viruses facing humanity, including “Disease X”.
“We are now in a world where new pathogens will appear,” said Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe Tamfum, who helped discover the Ebola virus in 1976, adding, “And that is a threat to humanity.”
Muyembe’s statement follows the path of a patient infected with a pathogen that has not yet been identified, but who has symptoms similar to Ebola.
In a remote town in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last month, a woman showed early signs of hemorrhagic fever. Her samples were tested for Ebola and other diseases with similar symptoms.
Everything came back negative, making the disease that affected the woman a mystery.
Scientists have speculated whether it could be the zero patient of “disease X”, the first known infection of a new pathogen that, according to researchers, could be more contagious than Covid-19 and with a mortality rate of 50 to 90 to hundred of Ebola.
In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) published its global plan to accelerate research and development during health emergencies and also included “Disease X” in the “Research and Development Plan 2018”.
The 2018 research and development plan has given priority to nine diseases for research and development consisting of Covid-19, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, Ebola virus disease and Marburg virus disease, Lassa fever, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV ) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)), Nipah and henipaviral disease, Rift Valley fever, Zika and the latest addition “Disease X”.
All of these diseases do not have an effective drug or vaccine.
What is disease X?
“X” means unexpected, explained Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
The WHO said it “represents the knowledge that a serious international epidemic could be caused by a currently unknown pathogen that can cause human disease.”
From now on, disease X remains hypothetical, an outbreak that scientists and public health experts fear could lead to serious disease worldwide if and when it occurs.
Speaking to CNN, Muyembe warned of many other zoonotic diseases – those that jump from animals to humans – that will come.
Zoonotic diseases, such as yellow fever, rabies, brucellosis and Lyme disease, have spread from animals to humans and caused epidemics and pandemics before. While deadly HIV emerged from a type of chimpanzee and then moved into a fatal disease, SARS-CoV-2, along with SARS, and MERS are all coronaviruses that suddenly jumped from animals to humans.
(With contributions from agencies)
“We are now in a world where new pathogens will appear,” said Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe Tamfum, who helped discover the Ebola virus in 1976, adding, “And that is a threat to humanity.”
Muyembe’s statement follows the path of a patient infected with a pathogen that has not yet been identified, but who has symptoms similar to Ebola.
In a remote town in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last month, a woman showed early signs of hemorrhagic fever. Her samples were tested for Ebola and other diseases with similar symptoms.
Everything came back negative, making the disease that affected the woman a mystery.
Scientists have speculated whether it could be the zero patient of “disease X”, the first known infection of a new pathogen that, according to researchers, could be more contagious than Covid-19 and with a mortality rate of 50 to 90 to hundred of Ebola.
In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) published its global plan to accelerate research and development during health emergencies and also included “Disease X” in the “Research and Development Plan 2018”.
The 2018 research and development plan has given priority to nine diseases for research and development consisting of Covid-19, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, Ebola virus disease and Marburg virus disease, Lassa fever, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV ) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)), Nipah and henipaviral disease, Rift Valley fever, Zika and the latest addition “Disease X”.
All of these diseases do not have an effective drug or vaccine.
What is disease X?
“X” means unexpected, explained Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
The WHO said it “represents the knowledge that a serious international epidemic could be caused by a currently unknown pathogen that can cause human disease.”
From now on, disease X remains hypothetical, an outbreak that scientists and public health experts fear could lead to serious disease worldwide if and when it occurs.
Speaking to CNN, Muyembe warned of many other zoonotic diseases – those that jump from animals to humans – that will come.
Zoonotic diseases, such as yellow fever, rabies, brucellosis and Lyme disease, have spread from animals to humans and caused epidemics and pandemics before. While deadly HIV emerged from a type of chimpanzee and then moved into a fatal disease, SARS-CoV-2, along with SARS, and MERS are all coronaviruses that suddenly jumped from animals to humans.
(With contributions from agencies)