London: At least five crore people are said to have died due to the ‘flu’ that spread in 1918-19. The number of people who became victims of this epidemic was more than double the number of people killed in the previous World War. A possible ‘Disease X’ may kill 50 million people worldwide in such a situation. A few days ago, scientists from China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology indicated that the new Coronavirus may soon spread worldwide. After this, the British expert’s warning of ‘Disease X’ increases the concern.

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In the last days of 2019, the Corona epidemic that spread from Wuhan City, China, created an uproar worldwide. Over 7 million people have died in this epidemic; corona-infected people are still found in some countries. During the spread of Corona, the World Health Organisation (WHO) released a list of diseases proving fatal for the global health system.

This list released under the name ‘Priority List’ includes nine viruses. It consists of a mention of ‘Disease X’, along with ‘COVID-19’, ‘Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever’, ‘Ebola and Marburg Virus’, ‘Lassa Fever’, ‘MERS-CoV and SARS’, ‘Nipah and Henipaviras Disease’, ‘Rift Valley River’, ‘Zika’. Of these, except Disease X, all other diseases have spread to different parts of the world. However, information about which virus will cause the spread of ‘Disease X’ has yet to be revealed.

Against this background, the British expert’s prediction of a deadlier Disease X epidemic is attracting much attention. Kate Bingham led the British ‘Vaccine Taskforce’ during Corona. The United Kingdom became the first country worldwide to start Corona preventive vaccination. By mentioning the dangerous situation of Corona, Bingham has made us realize that the world is still not ready to face the new epidemic. He has also indicated that this new epidemic will be deadlier than Coronavirus.

Furthermore, scientists worldwide are currently aware of 25 ‘families’ of viruses. Each of these contains hundreds or thousands of viruses. Any of these viruses can cause an epidemic of ‘Disease X’. However, the worst thing is that more than 1 million viruses worldwide are still unknown. This virus can prove fatal by mutating into other species. In these words, Bingham drew attention to the uncertainty surrounding the virus causing a possible pandemic.

Earlier, the World Health Organisation had warned of the deadly damage caused by ‘Disease X’. This epidemic, which spread in Europe and North Africa, killed 75 million people. That epidemic is said to be the most harmful in the world.