Thai Medical Centre on Alert Over an Outbreak of ‘Disease X’ in Afghanistan

(CTN News) – The World Health Organization is monitoring an ongoing epidemic of ” Disease X,” a serious respiratory disease, and Thailand’s Centre for Medical Genomics is actively monitoring it (WHO).

According to the Thai center’s Facebook page, the WHO is keeping an eye on an outbreak of respiratory illness in a community in northern Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province.

There have reportedly been 97 instances documented, of which 17 have been fatal.

The WHO has not yet identified the bacteria or virus causing the ailment, according to the Centre, which is part of Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine.

The Centre said a WHO team was sent to the isolated area to examine the illness despite unfavorable weather and significant snowfall.

The Centre investigated the genetic sequences of the disease’s DNA and RNA.

It said that in October, the WHO launched a worldwide scientific process to update its list of priority pathogens or agents that might cause outbreaks or pandemics to start preparing for an international epidemic of Disease X.

The WHO’s most recent update formally added Disease X to its list.

In November, the WHO called a conference of more than 300 experts to discuss 25 viral and bacterial families and Disease X. It also suggested a prioritized list of diseases for further study.

Covid-19, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, Ebola, Marburg virus, Lassa fever, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), nipah virus, Rift Valley fever, and zika virus are also on the WHO’s list of diseases.

The WHO used the placeholder moniker “Disease X” to designate a potential, unidentified pathogen that might start an epidemic on its shortlist of priority illnesses in February 2018.

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