WHO Warns Disease X Could Be 20 Times Deadlier than Covid

Jakarta – Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has urged countries to sign a new pandemic treaty, as disease X is warned. 

"This unidentified virus in the future could be more deadly than any disease we have faced before," he said while speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. 

On that occasion, he also expressed his hope that a global agreement could be reached by May 2024.  

Experts even argue that disease X could be 20 times more deadly than Covid-19. Tedros called pandemic Covid the first X disease and emphasized the need for the whole world to be ready for the next disease.

Moreover, WHO revealed that the term disease X signifies a serious global epidemic potentially caused by an unknown pathogen. 

According to USA Today, in 2018, WHO added disease X to its list of priority diseases to research.  

This includes diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Ebola, in order to accelerate the development of tests, vaccines and drugs to save lives during health crises.  

"There are a lot of unknowns that might happen. And whatever happens is a matter of when, not if. So, we need to have surrogates for diseases that we don't know about," Tedros suggested. 

"We lost a lot of people (during COVID-19) because we couldn't handle it. They could have been rescued, but there was no space. There was not enough oxygen. So, how can you have a system that can expand when needed?" he continued.  

Tedros further said that if this new pandemic treaty is supported by various countries, then this could be the best way to prepare.  

"This pandemic treaty can bring together all the experiences, all the challenges we face, and all the solutions. It can help us prepare for the future in a better way," Tedros remarked. 

"This is a shared global interest, and narrow national interests should not get in the way," Tedros concluded.