Disease X, the next pandemic, could kill about 50 million people: Know more

Digital Desk: Medical experts from around the world have issued warnings that COVID-19 might only be a sign of worse pandemics in the future, according to the Daily Mail.

The head of the UK's vaccine taskforce, Dame Kate Bingham, gave a dire warning that the next pandemic might kill at least 50 million people, highlighting that it was fortunate that COVID-19 was not more deadly.

The upcoming pandemic has been called "Disease X" by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which claims that it may already be "on its way."

According to data from the WHO, COVID-19, which first appeared in 2019, has already claimed the lives of up to seven million people all over the world.

Dame Kate Bingham issued a warning that Disease X might end up being more deadly than COVID-19 by a factor of more than seven. She added that a virus already in existence could be the cause of the next pandemic.

She compared the current threat to human life to the devastating 1918–19 flu pandemic that claimed the lives of more than 50 million people, saying, "Today, we could expect a similar death toll from one of the numerous viruses that are already present. More viruses are actively multiplying and evolving today than all other types of life put together."

She said, "Not all of them pose a threat to humans, of course - but plenty do," in an interview with the Daily Mail.

According to her, researchers are keeping an eye on 25 virus families, each of which has thousands of distinct viruses that have the potential to develop into a serious pandemic. The possibility of viruses spreading from animals to people is unaccounted for in this surveillance.

"With COVID, the vast majority of people infected with the virus managed to recover," stated Dame Kate. "Imagine that Disease X had an Ebola-like death rate of 67% and was as contagious as the measles. It's reproducing somewhere in the world, and sooner or later, somebody will get sick," she stated.

While this is going on, UK scientists have already started working on a vaccine for 'Disease X.' Over 200 scientists are involved in the research, which is being done at the high-security Porton Down laboratory facility in Wiltshire.

They focus on viruses that can infect humans and propagate quickly over the world in animals. Among the pathogens being examined are hantavirus, which is spread by rodents, monkeypox, and the bird flu.

The UK Health Security Agency's (UKHSA) chief, Professor Dame Jenny Harries, emphasised that population changes and climate change are increasing the likelihood of pandemics in the future. He emphasised the significance of being prepared in advance.