With Covid-19 no longer classed as a global emergency, even though it continues to kill, many experts are focusing their attention on the next danger: Disease X.
This is the as-yet-unidentified source of the next global pandemic, an event sometimes said to be a question of “when” rather than “if”.
Disease X is not an actual condition, but instead represents the reality that, in the World Health Organisation’s words, “a serious international epidemic could be caused by a pathogen currently unknown to cause human disease”.
The WHO began to include Disease X on its list of priority diseases – those that pose the greatest risk and for which countermeasures are inadequate – in 2018, the year before the novel coronavirus emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
The coronavirus has since infected hundreds of millions and caused about seven million deaths, according to official figures, although the true number is thought to be much higher.
“Clearly Covid has changed most people’s perspective in that it did happen and happened in a big way. I suppose people are concerned something could come along and be similarly or even more devastating,” said Dr Andrew Freedman, an infectious diseases specialist at Cardiff University in the UK.
Many types of pathogens could cause Disease X, although most experts, including Dr Freedman, put another coronavirus or an influenza virus at the top of their list of dangers.
In military parlance, Disease X is a “known unknown” in that it may come from an existing pathogen that, like SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19, jumped the species barrier and began infecting humans.
Some pathogens that have already infected people cause scientists concern, among them the virus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or Mers.
The Mers coronavirus infects camels, and many of the people who have fallen ill have been those with close contact with the animals. Person-to-person transmission is rare, but the virus could mutate in a way that would make this easier.
“If there’s human-to-human transmission it’s a huge issue,” said Dr Bharat Pankhania, a senior consultant in communicable disease control and senior clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter in the UK.
Ebola and Marburg, which are both filoviruses, have very high fatality rates, but they are more easily contained because they are not respiratory viruses, said Dr Freedman.
“There have been big outbreaks, but the potential to cause a pandemic that spreads across the world is much lower,” he said.
The increase in antibiotic resistance among bacteria has been cited as a threat as big as another pandemic, with a 2019 UN report warning that by 2050 there could be 10 million deaths annually because some microorganisms cannot be tackled.
Yet this week news emerged that artificial intelligence has identified a new antibiotic, abaucin, that could be used to kill Acinetobacter baumannii, a bacterium that has been branded a superbug.
Technological breakthroughs were also much in evidence during the Covid-19 pandemic, notably with the successful emergence of mRNA vaccines, which could be designed and deployed at speed if or when another deadly pathogen – most likely viral – emerges.
With the Covid experience, we know we can develop vaccines, so we’re in a much better place compared to 2019
Dr Bharat Pankhania,
expert in communicable disease control
“With the Covid experience, we know we can develop vaccines, so we’re in a much better place compared to 2019,” Dr Pankhania said.
However, the risks of something “unexpected, unusual, unknown, unheard” emerging is higher than it used to be, Dr Pankhania warned, because many people live in proximity to wild animals, which are a probable source of pathogens that could spread to humans.
“There’s every possibility of something jumping from an animal into a human, then humans to humans,” Dr Pankhania said.
The continued trade in live animals in markets in China in particular remains a concern, Dr Freedman said, as do farming practices.
Compassion in World Farming, a pressure group that campaigns against intensive or factory farming, states that “the stressful, crowded conditions on factory farms help drive the emergence and spread of dangerous, infectious diseases”.
Another potential source of a pandemic is a leak from a laboratory. The Wuhan Institute of Virology, in the city where the novel coronavirus emerged, fell under the spotlight because it carried out research into coronaviruses.
There are conflicting hypotheses, so it is unlikely to ever be known whether Covid-19 was the result of a lab leak or if the coronavirus spread to people from an animal at a market in the city.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, more countries are building biosecure laboratories to carry out work on hazardous pathogens.
A recent report by universities in the UK and US spoke of a “global boom in construction”, increasing the number of centres from which such a leak could happen.
Stringent security procedures reduce the risks, but analysts have said that a leak could be deliberate, such as if a staff member tried to launch a bioterrorism attack.
So, five years on from when the WHO first highlighted the dangers posed by Disease X, the threats remain many and varied, although the world is better equipped than ever to tackle whatever emerges.
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed PDK
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 820Nm
Price: Dh683,200
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PROFILE
Name: Enhance Fitness
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 200
Amount raised: $3m
Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham v Ajax, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Second Test
In Dubai
Pakistan 418-5 (declared)
New Zealand 90 and 131-2 (follow on)
Day 3: New Zealand trail by 197 runs with 8 wickets remaining
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
US PGA Championship in numbers
1 Joost Luiten produced a memorable hole in one at the par-three fourth in the first round.
2 To date, the only two players to win the PGA Championship after winning the week before are Rory McIlroy (2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational) and Tiger Woods (2007, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational). Hideki Matsuyama or Chris Stroud could have made it three.
3 Number of seasons without a major for McIlroy, who finished in a tie for 22nd.
4 Louis Oosthuizen has now finished second in all four of the game's major championships.
5 In the fifth hole of the final round, McIlroy holed his longest putt of the week - from 16ft 8in - for birdie.
6 For the sixth successive year, play was disrupted by bad weather with a delay of one hour and 43 minutes on Friday.
7 Seven under par (64) was the best round of the week, shot by Matsuyama and Francesco Molinari on Day 2.
8 Number of shots taken by Jason Day on the 18th hole in round three after a risky recovery shot backfired.
9 Jon Rahm's age in months the last time Phil Mickelson missed the cut in the US PGA, in 1995.
10 Jimmy Walker's opening round as defending champion was a 10-over-par 81.
11 The par-four 11th coincidentally ranked as the 11th hardest hole overall with a scoring average of 4.192.
12 Paul Casey was a combined 12 under par for his first round in this year's majors.
13 The average world ranking of the last 13 PGA winners before this week was 25. Kevin Kisner began the week ranked 25th.
14 The world ranking of Justin Thomas before his victory.
15 Of the top 15 players after 54 holes, only Oosthuizen had previously won a major.
16 The par-four 16th marks the start of Quail Hollow's so-called "Green Mile" of finishing holes, some of the toughest in golf.
17 The first round scoring average of the last 17 major champions was 67.2. Kisner and Thorbjorn Olesen shot 67 on day one at Quail Hollow.
18 For the first time in 18 majors, the eventual winner was over par after round one (Thomas shot 73).
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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Tom Fletcher on 'soft power'
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The specs: Volvo XC40
Price: base / as tested: Dh185,000
Engine: 2.0-litre, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 250hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 350Nm @ 1,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.4L / 100km
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The biog
Favourite book: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Favourite music: Classical
Hobbies: Reading and writing
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
SPEC%20SHEET
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