Future Pathogens Could Be Deadlier Than COVID; WHO Chief Warns Threat of Another Pandemic

Over three years since the COVID-19 pandemic brought by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has shaken the world. Since it was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) in January 2020, COVID has taken millions of lives worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are almost 800 million confirmed COVID cases, including nearly 7 million deaths as of May 2023.

Aside from COVID-related deaths, the pandemic also caused a severe crisis in the world economy. In 2020 the global collective gross domestic product (GDP) dropped by 3.4 percent. The economic fallout has crippled the markets, and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) predicts that some countries might still adjust to this decline even after several years.

On May 2023, WHO declared that COVID is no longer a global public health emergency. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made this decision based on the recommendation from the organization's emergency committee as mortality rates reached an all-time low.

Warning for Future Pandemic

Less than a month after the global health emergency was declared over, Ghebreyesus warned about future viruses publicly. He cautioned that the ongoing pandemic is still far from over and that people should prepare for another pathogen that could be even deadlier than COVID.

In a meeting of the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, Ghebreyesus said that the world should learn from the COVID pandemic and be prepared for other fatal diseases in the future. The WHO chief suggests making advance negotiations about preventing the next pandemic.

According to Ghebreyesus, the world was surprised and unprepared for a pandemic. He said that while the people have come out of a dark tunnel after the COVID pandemic, they still cannot carry on as they did before the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

"The threat of another variant emerging that causes new surges of disease and death remains. And the threat of another pathogen emerging with even deadlier potential remains," Ghebreyesus added.

He also believes that COVID may remain a health problem but not on the same scale as before. The present moment is a good time to look behind us, remember the darkness of COVID, and move forward with the lessons the pandemic has taught us.

Priority Diseases with Pandemic Potential

After learning the lessons from the COVID pandemic, infectious disease experts expressed their interest in studying the possibility of future outbreaks. WHO keeps a list of viruses and bacteria with pandemic potential based on their ability to spread and the ability of humans to cure them.

First on the list is the Nipah virus carried by fruit bats and domestic animals. It can cause encephalitis and has a 40-75% fatality rate. This is followed by Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever transmitted by ticks or infected livestock. It is currently endemic in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Next comes Lassa fever which rats and other rodents transmit. This disease is endemic in some regions of West Africa.

Other diseases included in the list are Rift Valley fever, Zika, Ebola and Marburg virus disease, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and Disease X. The list of pathogens serves as a guide for scientists, government authorities, and organizations in studying pathogens with the greatest potential to devastate humans.