WHO releases a list of diseases with the potential to become a pandemic

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —

List of possible diseases epidemic disease recently published by WHO or world health organization. They say the number of pathogens that could trigger the next pandemic has increased to more than 30, including influenza A viruses, dengue viruses and monkeypox viruses.

Researchers at the group as reported by Nature, that the new list of priority pathogens would be used by WHO. This list will later help WHO to decide and focus efforts on developing treatments, diagnostics and vaccines.

Priority pathogens released on July 30, 2024 were selected because of their potential to cause a global public health emergency, such as a pandemic. These pathogens are also easily transmitted and virulent and access to vaccines and treatment is also difficult.

More than 200 scientists spent around two years evaluating the evidence on 1,652 species of pathogens, mostly viruses and bacteria, to decide which ones should make the new list.

Among the 30 pathogens that were determined in the end to be on the list. There is a group of corona viruses like sarbecoviruses that includes SAR-CoV2, the virus that causes the Covid-19 pandemic. Then there is marbecovisu which contains the virus that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

Other additions to the list include the monkeypox virus, which caused a global mpox outbreak in 2022, and is still spreading in parts of Central Africa.

The virus is considered to be primitive, as is its relative, the variola virus, which causes smallpox, although it was eradicated in 1980.

This is because, as people no longer receive standard vaccinations against the virus, and therefore become immune to it, an unintended release of the virus can cause a pandemic.

The virus could be used “by terrorists as a biological weapon”.

Half a dozen influenza A viruses are now also on the list, including subtype H5, which has broken out in cattle in the United States.

Two rodent viruses were also added because they were transmitted to humans, with sporadic human-to-human transmission, climate change and increased urbanization may increase the risk of transmission of these viruses to humans, according to the report

The bat-borne Nipah virus remains on the list because it is deadly and highly transmissible in animals, and there is currently no treatment to protect against it.

The WHO list of potential infectious diseases will also continue to be updated. So that it can continue to guide the prevention or treatment of various diseases caused by viruses in the future.

(tst/wiw)

[Gambas:Video CNN]