When the world is still recovering, statistically and emotionally, from Covid-19 impact, a United Kingdom health expert, Kate Bingham has new warning for disease X. In a recent interview with Daily Mail, Bingham has compared the Disease X with the Spanish Flu of 1919-1920 and suggested that the impact could be more drastic than Covid-19.
Kate Bingham has served as the chair of the UK’s Vaccine Taskforce from May to December 2020 and her claim has been backed by the global organisation, World Health Organisation (WHO) as it identified the new agent as a virus, a bacterium or fungus which has no promised treatment yet.
In the interview with Daily Mail she said, “Let me put it this way: the 1918-19 flu pandemic killed at least 50 million people worldwide, twice as many as were killed in World War I. Today, we could expect a similar death toll from one of the many viruses that already exist.”
As per the findings the Disease X has 25 virus families but could have one million variants that are not discovered right now. The scientists are working towards gaining more knowledge about the virus but could not find any concrete information which is why it is named Disease X.
Kate Bingham is not the first one who has identified the virus but in 2018 WHO mentioned Disease X in one of its articles online. Subsequently a year later, the world witnessed the wrath of Covid-19. The online article said, “represents the knowledge that a serious international epidemic could be caused by a pathogen currently unknown to cause human disease.”
According to Bingham, the Disease X is as contagious as measles and has the fatality rate of Ebola disease, particularly found in South Africa with a fatality rate of 25 percent to 90 percent. Imagine Disease X is as infectious as measles with the fatality rate of Ebola. Somewhere in the world, it’s replicating, and sooner or later, somebody will start feeling sick,” said Kate Bingham.
When she was asked the reason behind the growing number of virus attacks globally, Bingham responded, We’re having to pay for living in the modern world. First, it’s increasingly connected through globalisation. Second, more and more people are cramming into cities, where they often come into close contact with others.”