Deadlier than COVID: How dangerous is Disease X? | PWOnlyIAS 2023

Context:

• This article is based on an Editorial “Deadlier than COVID’: How dangerous is Disease X?” which was published in the First post. Recently, a UK expert warned about the Disease X, the new pandemic, which is more dangerous than COVID-19 and could take 50 million lives and added that it might already be on its way. 
• India is planning to expand the scope of its genomic surveillance body INSACOG with the aim of preventing the outbreak of Disease X.

What is Disease X?

• Identification: The World Health Organisation (WHO) first used the phrase “Disease X” in 2018, a year before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.
• Nomenclature: It has been named by the WHO as an imaginary scenario where a new pathogen causes a new pandemic which is more severe than the previous ones. 
• Unknown Pathogen: Disease X represents the knowledge that a serious international epidemic could be caused by a pathogen currently unknown to cause human disease.

Is Disease X the Next Global Health Crisis?

Preparation Started: While COVID-19 and its variations have an impact on recurring and well-known health concerns, medical professionals have begun preparing for Disease X. 

• Severe Threat: Medical Professionals have also issued a warning that this new virus has the potential to be just as harmful as the Spanish Flu.
• Reason of Increasing Diseases: The first zoonotic virus, which caused yellow fever, was identified in 1901. Experts believe ecological devastation and trade in animals play a significant role in the growing number of new diseases.

How to Fight Disease X?

• Containment & Mitigation Strategies: Involve development and implementation of uniform international guidelines to control bioterrorism. 
• Immediate & Appropriate Travel Restrictions: Including strict airport screening to contain the spread of pathogen X across borders. 
• A Collaborative Approach: Need of collaboration of global leaders, scientists, epidemiologists, and infectious disease experts to investigate, control, and eliminate disease X. 
• Effective Tools: Widespread and mass testing, surveillance and aggressive contact tracing.
• Promotion of Research: Research on preventive aspects, development and process of vaccinations needs to be given more attention.
• Reduce Tension: Need to reduce the anxiety or tension caused by Disease X.
• Awareness: The world needs to be aware of potential pathogens. 
• One Health Approach: It aims to bridge institutional gaps, build and stratify priority risk and alert pathogens, and emphasize mitigation strategies for emerging and re-emerging pathogens.
• Mass Vaccine Preparation: The world will have to prepare for mass vaccination drives and deliver the doses in record time.

Also read: Mission COVID Suraksha

Strategies for Disease X

• WHO’s Strategy:
  • Global Response Plan: WHO collaborates closely with a group of experts known as the “R&D Blueprint Scientific Advisory Group” to formulate a global response plan.
  • Treatment: Early virus discovery, containment, and the development of vaccines and treatments are all part of the plan. 
  • Awareness: The WHO is also working to raise awareness of Disease X in the general public and to convince countries to support R&D for infectious diseases.
• M-PATHS:
  • A Platform: A multiplexed serology platform designed to identify antibodies against human pathogens that are specific to India. 
    • This platform will be developed over the next 24 months.
  • Collaborative Surveillance: The team at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), will work together with other state departments, including urban development, rural and panchayat raj, and other organizations to monitor these infections at the district level and improve surveillance. 
  • Identified Pathogens: The team in collaboration with Bangalore BioInnovation Centre, Department of Biotechnology, Government of Karnataka, and state department of health under the M-Path programme, has identified 32 potential pathogens.

• Four-Pronged Strategy
  • Surveillance: Focusing on expansion of the country’s genomic surveillance.
  • Preparation of a Pathogens List: To avert Disease X is the creation of a list of potential pathogens. 
  • Vaccine Preparation: India should be able to prepare vaccines in the shortest possible time, if needed.
  • Effective Drugs: To continue the work on finding effective drugs, especially antivirals.

Also read: Cases of Cardiac arrest post Covid-19

Conclusion

Top scientists and experts believe that Disease X is just an imaginary or hypothetical illness. While there is no such pathogen immediately, the exercise aims to conceptualize a suitable action plan against future threats. 

India being a pharmacy to the world and home to top pharma companies across the globe, must take up this goal to find effective drugs.