Disease X: What You Should Know and What’s Being Done

Disease X has pops up in the news from time to time since it was created in 2017 and according to the World Health Organization, more than 300 scientists continue to study and research more than 25 virus families as part of Disease X.

Disease X is a list of priority pathogens that need increased research to understand what they mean for us.

Basically,, according to the New Scientist website, these viruses have the potential to cause the next epidemic or a new global pandemic like COVID-19. The term can refer to a newly, not yet named pathogen which is an organism that can produce disease with pandemic potential.

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COVID-19 was the first Disease X according to New Scientist.  The coronaviruses are a large group long seen as a prime contender for producing a new pandemic before the COVID-19 outbreak even happened according to New Scientist. COVID-19 spurred the development of novel vaccine designs that could be quickly repurposed to target Disease X.

This list of priority pathogens has become a reference point for the research community on where to focus energies to manage the next threat and is the agreed direction for where we—as a global research community—need to invest energy and funds to develop tests, treatments and vaccines.

The most studied, monitored, and researched viruses besides Disease X include Crimean-Cong hemorrhagic fever, Ebola virus disease and Marburg virus disease, Lassa fever, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Nipah and henipaviral diseases, Rift Valley fever, and Zika.

The WHO continues to warn global leaders about the risks of future pandemics and Disease X with updates as studies progress.