A Covid-19 themed mural in Chennai, eastern India. The pandemic contributed to millions of deaths and disrupted global economies. EPA
A Covid-19 themed mural in Chennai, eastern India. The pandemic contributed to millions of deaths and disrupted global economies. EPA
A Covid-19 themed mural in Chennai, eastern India. The pandemic contributed to millions of deaths and disrupted global economies. EPA
A Covid-19 themed mural in Chennai, eastern India. The pandemic contributed to millions of deaths and disrupted global economies. EPA

Disease X: Is world ready for the next pandemic?


Daniel Bardsley
  • English
  • Arabic

It is just over four years since the novel coronavirus – which came to be known as Covid-19 – first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

The rapid outbreak of the disease sparked a pandemic, claiming millions of lives and devastating economies the world over.

Now experts are working to prevent a future global health crisis by sharpening their focus on an as yet unknown threat, often termed as Disease X.

At a World Economic Forum discussion in Davos this week, World Health Organisation Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that societies were “still not prepared” for what could be on the horizon.

His stark message was delivered more than five years after the WHO began including Disease X on its list of priority diseases.

This list covers the pathogens, identified or as-yet-unknown, that are said to pose the biggest threats, but for which there may not be adequate countermeasures.

World Health Organisation Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus fears the world is not ready to combat another pandemic. Reuters
World Health Organisation Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus fears the world is not ready to combat another pandemic. Reuters

Raising the alarm

“Disease X represents the knowledge that a serious international epidemic could be caused by a pathogen currently unknown to cause human disease,” is how the WHO puts it.

As part of the WHO’s preparedness planning, more than 200 scientists are currently assessing the pandemic risks from no fewer than 30 families of viruses along with a core group of bacteria – and Disease X.

Ian Jones, professor of virology at the University of Reading in the UK, said that it was almost certain that the next pandemic would be caused by a virus.

“Viruses are the only things that can appear suddenly and spread most quickly,” he said.

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, another coronavirus is an obvious potential source, as there are countless types of them in animals.

One could pose a threat if it crossed the species barrier and began infecting and spreading between people. This is what is often thought to have happened with Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

There have now been more than 773 million cases of Covid-19 and seven million deaths, according to official figures, although the real tally is likely to be much higher.

A key concern for Prof Paul Hunter, an infectious diseases researcher at the University of East Anglia in the UK, is the trade in wild animal bushmeat, something that he and his colleagues have been writing about for around two decades.

“The problem is not local communities catching bushmeat and eating it. Even if they get something nasty, it’s unlikely in remote areas to spread rapidly,” he said.

“When you bring these animals into cities, if something makes the jump, then it’s much more likely to spread. That’s certainly what happened with Sars in 2003 and almost certainly what happened with Covid. That’s the big threat.

“What’s certain is that Covid isn’t the last new pandemic we’ll experience in the coming decades.”

More pandemics to come

While coronaviruses are at or close to the top of lists of where the next pandemic is likely to come from, there is currently “an unprecedented level of immunity” to them in the population because of the large number of infections in recent times, Prof Jones said.

As a result, the chance of another coronavirus soon emerging as a threat in the way that Sars-CoV-2 did is “quite small”, he said.

The number one risk for Prof Jones is the potential for a new type of influenza to emerge – not least because this family of viruses has caused pandemics “many times before”.

Known flu pandemics began in 1889, 1918, 1957, 1968, 1977 and 2009, with the worst thought to have been the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 to 1920, which killed tens of millions.

Further down the list of pandemic threats, Ebola virus disease has grabbed many headlines because of its high death rate, often above 50 per cent, among those infected.

However, as with the similar Marburg virus, which is also caused by a filovirus, it likely does not pass easily enough between people to become a global concern.

“Haemorrhagic fevers like Ebola are much more lethal, but don’t spread anywhere near as readily as respiratory viruses,” Prof Hunter said.

Another cause for concern is Nipah virus, which, the WHO states, is contracted by people in contact with infected bats or pigs.

First identified in Malaysia in 1998, this paramyxovirus has recently caused a number of infections and deaths in India and is, Prof Jones said, commonly among those viruses listed as potential causes of the next pandemic.

However, because the virus infects the brain and central nervous system tissues, he sees it as being less likely than others to spread easily.

“The likelihood of the virus suddenly becoming transmissible by the respiratory route is almost inconceivable,” said Prof Jones.

Ready to respond

The speed with which vaccines against Covid-19 were developed indicates that, if or when another pandemic emerges, the world may be in a better position to respond than was the case in previous decades.

In a paper published in NPJ Vaccines journal in November, scientists from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer – which with BioNTech produced one of the key Covid-19 vaccines – said that lessons from Covid-19 and influenza pandemics “underscore the importance of strengthening surveillance systems [and] investing in early-stage research on pandemic pathogens”.

They also said it showed the importance of the “development of platform technologies”.

This follows the rollout of new forms of vaccine, notably messenger RNA or mRNA vaccines, during the pandemic.

Prof Jones said that it was also important to minimise the risks of another pandemic emerging and, for him, agriculture is central to this.

“The amount of meat being consumed in the world, the number of pigs bred and processed per unit of land mass and unit of population is huge,” he said.

“I don’t think people appreciate the amount of biological material being amplified and moved around. That’s one area that poses a risk.

“If things were able to get into that population of farm animals, there’s a huge opportunity for it amplify, because all the animals are the same and in a dense population, and [there is] the chance for it to be transmitted to people.”

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Haltia.ai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Arto%20Bendiken%20and%20Talal%20Thabet%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20AI%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2041%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20About%20%241.7%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self%2C%20family%20and%20friends%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained

Defined Benefit Plan (DB)

A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.

Defined Contribution Plan (DC) 

A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETamer%20Ruggli%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENadine%20Labaki%2C%20Fanny%20Ardant%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
If you go

The flights

There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.

The trip

Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.

The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.

 

Kibsons%20Cares
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERecycling%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fstrong%3EAny%20time%20you%20receive%20a%20Kibsons%20order%2C%20you%20can%20return%20your%20cardboard%20box%20to%20the%20drivers.%20They%E2%80%99ll%20be%20happy%20to%20take%20it%20off%20your%20hands%20and%20ensure%20it%20gets%20reused%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EKind%20to%20health%20and%20planet%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESolar%20%E2%80%93%2025-50%25%20of%20electricity%20saved%3Cbr%3EWater%20%E2%80%93%2075%25%20of%20water%20reused%3Cbr%3EBiofuel%20%E2%80%93%20Kibsons%20fleet%20to%20get%2020%25%20more%20mileage%20per%20litre%20with%20biofuel%20additives%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESustainable%20grocery%20shopping%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ENo%20antibiotics%3Cbr%3ENo%20added%20hormones%3Cbr%3ENo%20GMO%3Cbr%3ENo%20preservatives%3Cbr%3EMSG%20free%3Cbr%3E100%25%20natural%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs

Engine: 2.3-litre, turbo four-cylinder

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Power: 300hp

Torque: 420Nm

Price: Dh189,900

On sale: now

While you're here
How to donate

Text the following numbers:

2289 - Dh10

6025 - Dh 20

2252 - Dh 50

2208 - Dh 100

6020 - Dh 200 

*numbers work for both Etisalat and du

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

Rank

Country

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

Sheikh Zayed's poem

When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.

Your love is ruling over my heart

Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it

Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home

You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness

Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins

You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge

You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm

Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you

You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it

Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by. 

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Expert advice

“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”

Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles

“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”

Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre 

“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”

Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
 

Four-day collections of TOH

Day             Indian Rs (Dh)        

Thursday    500.75 million (25.23m)

Friday         280.25m (14.12m)

Saturday     220.75m (11.21m)

Sunday       170.25m (8.58m)

Total            1.19bn (59.15m)

(Figures in millions, approximate)

Match info

Australia 580
Pakistan 240 and 335

Result: Australia win by an innings and five runs

Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances

All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.

Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.

Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.

Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.

Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.

Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

Updated: January 19, 2024, 8:43 AM`