The world will always face the emergence and reemergence of new and existing pathogens. As fears of the next pandemic continue to grow, Janet Robinson, FHI 360’s director of emerging infectious diseases and health security, shares insight into Disease X.
Can you explain what Disease X actually is?
Disease X is a placeholder name adopted by the World Health Organization in February 2018 and added to its existing shortlist of blueprint priority pathogens that hold the capacity to trigger an epidemic or potentially escalate to a pandemic. This blueprint list is intended to accelerate research and development efforts for treatments, diagnostic tests, and vaccines for diseases that could cause significant outbreaks — before an outbreak spreads and becomes a public health emergency.
Many of the pathogens on the list are from viral families, such as coronaviruses, and adding Disease X will hopefully accelerate the detection of a new viral strain by advancing research into whole families of viruses. Bacteria that are highly resistant to antibiotics are also included as potential causes of Disease X as they can also cause serious outbreaks if not contained. Adding Disease X — although the term may sound like something out of a science fiction film — to the list is a critical step in being prepared and is a core component of global health strategies.
Why does it have that name?
It refers to a disease caused by a currently unknown pathogen that may emerge and cause serious disease and outbreaks.
How worried should we be about Disease X — will it be the next big pandemic?
We should always be worried about an outbreak of a previously unknown pathogen or reemergence of a previously identified one. History has shown us that if left undetected or not contained, some can lead to outbreaks that could escalate to pandemic level. We hope that the addition of unknown Disease X to the blueprint list will accelerate research on such pathogens so that vaccines, diagnostics and treatments are more quickly available to reduce and contain the threat. However, while remaining aware and prepared is critical, it is also vital to prevent unnecessary panic. The goal is to be well-prepared for potential disease outbreaks and to be able to respond effectively, flexibly and rapidly to such events.
How can we prepare for the next pandemic to make sure it doesn’t become a disaster like COVID-19?
The global response to emerging infectious disease threats, such as COVID-19, the Ebola virus and Zika virus, is largely reactive. And it typically depends on international organizations and funding, which are external to the countries that most need assistance.
As we look to the future, mindful of lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, FHI 360 embraces the importance of proactively strengthening countries’ capacity to detect, respond to and prevent priority diseases and the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance.
Proactive research to identify infectious threats early will allow for the rapid development of diagnostic tests — to detect the threat — as well as vaccine and treatment options. Further, global collaboration and information-sharing — and the establishment of early warning systems to detect and monitor potential infectious threats — allow for prompt responses and control measures. We also need to make our health systems more resilient so that when an outbreak occurs, routine prevention, wellness, treatment and mental health services are not halted by a stretched health system trying to cope with the impact of the outbreak on service delivery.
At FHI 360, we view our investment in global health security as critical to the health and well-being of communities, countries and the planet.