Two and a half years after the first appearance of COVID-19, experts warn that more catastrophic epidemics may be on the way as we are living in a "perfect storm for emerging infectious diseases." Alongside the coronavirus, monkeypox, polio, and hepatitis, experts caution about the worst-case scenario that could come in the form of "Disease X." "Disease X" does not represent an actual threat facing the world, but is a term used by the World Health Organization to describe a disease that could potentially cause an epidemic.
In light of the return of polio, experts say the world is now at the beginning of an "era of pandemics," where epidemics will be viral threats that are increasingly common. The United Kingdom appears to be a petri dish, as one viral threat after another strikes the country and its health services, with discoveries of COVID, monkeypox, polio, hepatitis, bird flu, Lassa fever, and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever occurring in various parts of the country.
After traces of polio were found in sewage samples in parts of London for the first time in 40 years, an expert in infectious diseases indicated that after a series of health events in the past six months, something may be on the horizon. Professor Mark Woolhouse, an epidemiologist at the University of Edinburgh, noted that while current outbreaks are concerning, "they may not represent anything compared to what could be coming soon." He explained that what comes next is what concerns scientists and health experts who are trying to predict and prepare for the next virus.
Professor Paul Hunter from the University of East Anglia told the Telegraph, "Those traveling from this country to others and returning are likely the biggest drivers of imported diseases. We need to pay attention, enhance pandemic preparedness, and maintain our surveillance systems, because when it comes to disease, we are not an island and it would be a mistake to consider ourselves as such."
Last year, the World Health Organization warned that the next pandemic could be "on par" with the Black Death, which killed approximately 75 million people between 1346 and 1353. Professor Woolhouse added, "The early 21st century is a perfect storm for emerging infectious diseases, and everything points to the likelihood of more and more outbreaks. All the drivers of infectious disease outbreaks are actually worsening, not getting better over time."
It is said that scientists believe the next pandemic will be due to "zoonotic" diseases, which occur when infections are transmitted from animals to humans. The underlying factors behind the spread of new and existing viruses are likely attributed to the burgeoning economies of previously underdeveloped countries, population growth, increased wildlife trade, and human encroachment into jungles and forests.
