The Indonesian Ministry of Health issued a warning about how various airborne diseases could potentially become Disease X, leading to future pandemics. The ministry’s head of communication and public services, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, stated that airborne diseases are commonly transmitted globally, and controlling them is more difficult compared to transmission through blood or water. She added that influenza, similar to COVID-19, could also become a pandemic since there is no cure for all types of influenza. Vaccination is presently the most effective way to control it.
Apart from influenza, Tarmizi listed several other zoonoses, such as Ebola, acute hepatitis, and monkeypox that could become potential Disease X. She emphasized how Ebola has been a subject of speculation regarding a global outbreak for several years, but it has not yet reached that stage. Disease X is a term adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2018 to describe hypothetical diseases that are unknown, but have the potential to trigger future pandemics.
During the 76th World Health Assembly meeting in Geneva, Switzerland in May 2023, the WHO drew attention to the likelihood of the emergence of Disease X. Tarmizi explained that Disease X manifests itself through unknown pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria, or fungi, that have no known treatment. This term has been used by the WHO since 2018 for unknown diseases, and one year later, COVID-19 emerged as a new pandemic.
Tarmizi stressed that there is presently no drug to cure Disease X, nor can anyone predict the trigger that would initiate it. Therefore, the ministry’s current readiness is to anticipate and prepare the entire country, and the greater challenge lies in boosting Indonesia’s healthcare system by developing more advanced vaccine programs and medical research.
Zoonoses are significant public health threats, and over 60% of emerging infectious diseases in humans originate from animals, according to the WHO. Indonesia is home to some of the world’s most deadly zoonoses, including avian influenza, SARS, MERS, and Nipah virus. In recent years, the country has faced significant risks from outbreaks of these diseases, including a 2018-2019 outbreak of measles and the 2019 coronavirus pandemic.
Indonesia relies extensively on the use of vaccines to manage these diseases, with the ministry continually promoting the importance of vaccination across the country. The government has initiated several mass vaccination programs targeting school children, pregnant women, and high-risk groups. The Ministry of Health also aims to improve occupational health expert competence to reduce accidents in the country.
In conclusion, Indonesia’s Ministry of Health warns that various airborne diseases could potentially become Disease X, leading to future pandemics, including influenza, Ebola, acute hepatitis, and monkeypox. Disease X is caused by unknown pathogens, which have no known treatment, and there is no drug to cure it or predict its trigger. Indonesia’s current readiness is to prepare for the entire country, including developing more advanced vaccine programs, medical research, and improving the competence of occupational health experts. Ultimately, vaccination remains the most effective way to control and prevent the spread of these diseases.
