what is disease x

Disease X is a placeholder name adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO) to represent a hypothetical, unknown pathogen that could cause a future epidemic. It was added to the WHOs shortlist of blueprint priority diseases in 2018 to acknowledge the potential for a future epidemic caused by an unknown pathogen. Disease X is an illness caused by a presently unknown, yet serious microbial threat, and it is expected to be caused by a zoonosis, most likely an RNA virus, emerging from animals. The purpose of studying Disease X is to enable early cross-cutting research and development preparedness that is relevant for an unknown disease. The term "Disease X" was coined to encourage the development of platform technologies, including vaccines, drug therapies, and diagnostic tests, that could be rapidly adapted and deployed in response to future outbreaks with epidemic or pandemic potential. Disease X represents the knowledge that a serious international epidemic could be caused by a pathogen currently unknown to cause human disease, and it is considered a very serious threat that unknown viruses pose to human health. The exact nature and characteristics of Disease X are still unknown, but it is a subject of ongoing research and preparedness efforts by the scientific community and health organizations.