'when, not if': who warns world not ready for next disease x outbreak
the next global pandemic could be even deadlier than co...
2 minute read
we apologize, but this video has failed to load.
try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
the next global pandemic could be even deadlier than covid-19, warns the world health organization’s top doctor. and the world is not prepared to deal with a future disease x that could wreak havoc around the world, who director-general dr. tedros adhanom ghebreyesus told a world governments summit in dubai earlier this month.
“exactly six years ago, i said the world was not prepared for a pandemic and expressed my concern at that time that a pandemic could happen any time,” he said on feb. 12, reported metro u.k.
less than two years later, covid-19 was discovered in china and the disease spread across the world.
“in the aftermath of covid-19, millions of people are dead with social, economic and political shocks that reverberate to this day. the painful lessons we learned are in danger of being forgotten as attention turns to many other crises confronting our world.”
the who’s top doctor, who has been at the helm since 2017, said society will “pay dearly” for failing to learn the lessons of past outbreaks.
“if we fail to learn those lessons, we will pay dearly next time – and there will be a next time. the cycle of panic and neglect is beginning to repeat,” he said.
disease x is a term used by the who since 2018 to refer to future infectious pathogens that could have the potential to spread across the globe.
advertisement
tedros also sounded the alarm bells in january at the world economic forum’s annual meeting in davos.
“disease x is attracting a lot of attention … but it’s not a new idea,” he said.
he listed viruses such as mers (middle east respiratory syndrome), zika and ebola as examples of emerging diseases.
“there are things that are unknown, that may happen. and anything happening is a matter of when, not if.
“so, we need to have a placeholder for that, for the diseases that we don’t know, that may come. and that was when we gave the name disease x.”
tedros said the who was preparing for diseases similar to covid-19, and added the coronavirus could be considered the first disease x.
he also dismissed critics complaining that the term disease x would create panic.
“no, it’s better actually to anticipate something that may happen — because it has happened in our history many times — and prepare for it.”
not only can the world prepare for known diseases, tedros argued that countries can be ready for unknown viral threats.
share story
