Will "Disease X" Wipe Out Humanity? | Unveiled

Will Disease X Wipe Out Humanity?

The emergence and spread of diseases can be incredibly unpredictable. In the past, uncontrollable pandemics have had devastating effects on human populations around the world. Currently, the World Health Organization lists Zika, SARS, and Ebola as some of its biggest priorities in research, as well as the mysterious “Disease X”. But what IS this puzzling pathogen, and how worried should we be?

This is Unveiled, and today, we’re answering the extraordinary question “Will Disease X Wipe Out Humanity?”

The odd aspect about Disease X is that...well, it isn’t really a disease, at least not one that’s been identified. So, why is the World Health Organization prioritizing it? Simply put, Disease X refers to an unknown FUTURE pathogen, in acknowledgement of the fact that we haven’t discovered every type of germ or illness yet. While we have identified a monumental number of them, as well as how to treat them, we should always prepare for the unknown. WHO keeps Disease X as a priority in the event a pandemic arises from “an unknown pathogen”. This is why creating blueprints for research and development is crucial for the organization.

Even with this explanation from WHO, Disease X remains shrouded in mystery. How do we anticipate something we have yet to find? How do we expect the unexpected? Well, there is one thing in WHO’s definition that gives us a starting point; the organization states that Disease X “could be caused by a pathogen currently unknown to cause human disease…” Potential pathogens include viruses, bacteria, protozoans, fungi, and parasites, such as worms. Unfortunately, it’s extremely difficult to predict which type could become Disease X.

Parasitic worms are typically found within infected food and water. Most worm diseases can be treated with oral medications, or in extreme cases, surgery. One of the most common types of worm infection, caused by pinworms, is relatively easily treated, and preventable by maintaining personal hygiene and cleanliness. For this reason, worm diseases are unlikely to play a role in global outbreaks.

Nor are fungal diseases. While fungal diseases can be lethal, according to the Centre of Disease Control and Prevention, outbreaks are rare. Having said that, the CDC IS currently tracking a fungus that poses an increasing threat - Candida auris, which is drug resistant and often found in hospitals. Studies are ongoing.

Protozoa and viruses often have a wider reach. Protozoa are microscopic one-celled organisms, some of which are parasitic in nature. Like worms, they can be transmitted through fecal matter, as well as by insects. One such protozoan disease is Malaria, which kills more than six hundred thousand people every year. Viruses, on the other hand, are varied and difficult to predict. Treatment is often dependent on the virus’s specific identity. Many viruses, like the ones we mentioned in the beginning of this video, are currently listed under WHO’s watchlist.

However, what should perhaps concern us most is the possibility of Disease X being a bacteria. Bacterial diseases are the most common, and often highly contagious. Fortunately, most can be fended off with antibiotics. UNfortunately, antibiotics are slowly starting to be less effective. Several bacteria are labeled by CDC as urgent or concerning threats, and it gets more worrisome with the current “antibiotic apocalypse”.

Bacterial infections are becoming more and more resistant to antibiotic treatment, a problem that WHO has called “one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today”. The organization blames this on our misuse and overuse of antibiotics, warning that we need to change our ways now before curable ailments become deadly again. Incorrect- and over-prescription not only puts the public at risk, it’s also raised costs in healthcare and resulted in patients staying longer in hospitals. In the words of WHO, “Without urgent action, we are heading for a post-antibiotic era in which common infections and minor injuries can once again kill.” Should this problem go unresolved, we might find ourselves facing a bacterial infection that’s practically unstoppable until we can develop a new class of antibiotics.

If such a pandemic did sweep across the globe, what would we do? Would we be ready? Would we have the time and resources to protect the uninfected, and find a cure? It’s difficult to say. It might take time for us to even become aware of a new and drug-resistant pathogen, depending on where the first outbreak occurred. And when we did, we might not immediately recognize it as Disease X. Then there’s the time it would take for us to contain it and find a treatment, if that was even possible. In this day and age, diseases can spread from city to city, and country to country, as fast as the shortest available flight. The more the disease spread, the more difficult it would be to quarantine.

Even if we could contain Disease X, the results would be disastrous. Local hospitals would become even more overcrowded, and there’d be little that doctors could do anyway, at least initially. Once Disease X was identified, WHO would have to re-prioritize their research, pulling valuable resources from teams working on other diseases. From then on, it would be a race against time - between the spread of the epidemic, and researchers looking for a cure.

Of course, the good news is that WHO is prioritizing Disease X just to prepare for such an eventuality. And currently, Disease X remains hypothetical. For now, it’s merely a way to acknowledge and plan for the fact that we have yet to discover all the pathogens and potential pathogens that we share the planet with. It’s a concept, helping us err on the side of caution, rather than a specific threat. There’s no defined likelihood that it will emerge in the near future. But when it does, will it be enough to wipe out humanity? Will we have the resources to prepare and develop a cure?

The truth is, only time will tell.