Disease X Fears: From Brain-Swelling Flu To Eye-Bleeding Fever, Scientists Warn 4 Viruses Could Trigger The Next Pandemic

Scientists say whether it happens today, tomorrow, or in the next decade, a new pandemic is looming. While they cannot predict precisely how and when the new outbreak might begin, they are sure it is likely to be soon.

The cause of worry is a slew of viruses that have emerged mysteriously across the world, with the latest being a mysterious viral disease in the western Democratic Republic of Congo, leading to 60 deaths. This is the latest viral epidemic to hit the East African region in the past year, following outbreaks of Marburg virus and mpox diseases, among others.

The World Health Organisation has said the mystery disease is neither Ebola nor Marburg, but the symptoms of hemorrhagic fever are there in those affected. Scientists say most viruses have started mutating and are thriving in tropical climates—exposing people to wildlife. Many viral diseases, especially in Africa, are also linked to the consumption of the meat of wild animals, which can be infected with pathogens.

Virologists warn that cases could begin to crop up anywhere in the world, as infections are not restricted by borders and country lines. Scientists have now advised countries to ramp up disease surveillance and look out for signs of known illnesses like malaria, typhoid, and meningitis.

Last week, China said its scientists discovered HKU5-CoV-2—a virus similar to SARS-CoV-2—which causes COVID-19 and was responsible for a pandemic in 2020. This virus also targets the same human receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE2). HKU5-CoV-2 has the potential to lead to human-to-human or even cross-species transmission, researchers have warned.

The virus was discovered by a team led by Zheng-Li Shi, known as the "Batwoman," after she worked at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China, which came under fire as the potential source of COVID-19.

The latest study published in the British Medical Journal has said deaths from viruses that currently lurk in animals are set to increase 12-fold by 2050. The three most important of these, on the priority list of WHO, as singled by scientists, include:

Both Ebola and Marburg have seen frequent outbreaks in Africa and elsewhere in the last two years. They are severe and highly infectious filoviruses that come from bats and kill many they infect.

Even though they spread through fairly close contact, scientists say both Ebola and Marburg have the capability to make a global outbreak. Those with the virus show signs of high fever, severe headache, and malaise. Many patients develop severe hemorrhagic symptoms, including bleeding.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome or SARS, is a viral respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus. It affects the airways in the lungs and causes symptoms like the common cold and flu.

It is a highly contagious condition, passed on through respiratory droplets produced when a person with the virus coughs or sneezes, or by contact with objects or surfaces containing the virus. SARS symptoms include headaches, body aches, mild respiratory symptoms, diarrhoea, dry cough, and pneumonia.

Nipah spreads from fruit bats or livestock and also has the potential to cause the next pandemic. This virus attacks the brain, causing swelling and inflammation, and has a fatality rate up to 75 per cent.

According to experts, of those who survive, around 20 per cent are left with long-term neurological conditions, including personality changes or seizures.

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