Another pandemic like COVID-19 is all but guaranteed, according to public health experts. Whether it happens next year or a decade from now, these massive public health emergencies naturally happen on a regular basis, especially as our world gets hotter from climate change and more viruses and other pathogens spill over from our diminishing wilderness.
The World Health Organization (WHO) keeps track of the bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites that are most likely to cause widespread chaos and recently updated its running tally of the world's most threatening pathogens. They did this with the help of over 200 scientists from more than 50 countries who investigated the data of more than 1,600 viruses and bacteria. And, as it turns out, there are more bugs out there worth worrying about than previously reported.
In the report released last week, the WHO updated the list to more than 30 pathogens that could trigger another pandemic, and added new ones to the list — namely influenza A virus, dengue virus and mpox virus — to the list. One noteworthy addition to the list is the mpox virus (formerly known as "monkeypox"), which caused a global pandemic in 2022. But the virus keeps mutating and more deadly strain is now spreading rapidly through Africa. It was reported this week that the WHO is considering declaring as "public health emergency of international concern" over the emerging crisis.
The authors of the report also warn against a Pathogen X, or as-yet-unidentified bug that may cause major public health incidents in the future.
"Pathogen X is a term used to denote an unidentified or unspecified pathogen," the authors write. "Unknown pathogens with the potential to induce a [public health emergency of international concern] or pandemics in the future. It is challenging to predict the specific pathogen that may lead to the next [public health emergency of international concern] or pandemic. While numerous viruses and bacteria capable of infecting humans exist, only a limited subset has historically been responsible for pandemics or widespread epidemics."
While the WHO's report could seem like a worrisome report, it's hard to prepare for the next pandemic if we don't know what to look out for. This "most-wanted" list is a good place to start.
