Sept. 23, 2025, Published 2:00 p.m. ET
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Following the transformative impact of COVID-19 in 2020, experts are ringing alarm bells regarding the potential emergence of a new, even more perilous virus. RadarOnline.com reveals chilling insights.
A recently released documentary entitled Disease X: Hunting the Next Pandemic plunges into the ominous prospects of a virus that could exploit our vulnerability.
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What Is ‘Disease X’?
COVID-19 shut down the world, but another virus may be looming.
In the BBC2 documentary, Dr. Chris Van Tulleken attends a daily briefing at the WHO’s Geneva headquarters, where officials stay updated on emerging disease outbreaks around the globe.
As various outbreaks have been reported, including a severe Avian Flu outbreak in Vietnam that resulted in 65 confirmed fatalities, Dr. Margaret Harris from the WHO raised concerns over a much more alarming pathogen.
She elaborated: “Ebola, Marburg, influenza, various coronaviruses, but perhaps most critically, we must consider Disease X.”
The term “Disease X,” first introduced in 2018, describes a previously unidentified pathogen with the potential to trigger a significant global pandemic, similar to the COVID-19 crisis.
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The Bird Flu Takeover?
The World Health Organization is closely monitoring potential outbreaks of ‘Disease X.’
Dr. Harris warns that the next “Disease X” could emerge from any region and could lead to an alarming death toll. “Its effects could dwarf the COVID-19 pandemic,” she cautioned.
Moreover, the dangers posed by bacterial and fungal infections cannot be overlooked, as they could also result in significant fatalities.
“It may manifest as a modified or mutated version of an existing pathogen, or it might be a completely unprecedented organism,” Tulleken explained, underlining the escalating risk of zoonotic diseases spilling over from animals to humans.
Historically, the H5N1 Bird flu has caused havoc, notably affecting livestock in Texas and spreading to California, prompting Governor Newsom to declare a state of emergency.
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Governor Newsom Declares A State Of Emergency
In late 2024, Governor Newsom issued a state of emergency in California due to Bird Flu concerns.
Tulleken noted that the Bird flu is now “closer to pandemic potential than ever before.”
“In a best-case scenario for an H5N1 pandemic, we could see it mutate into a relatively harmless strain. The worst-case scenario, however, could result in a highly lethal and contagious variant,” he cautioned.
Newsom’s declaration followed a severe outbreak among dairy cattle in Southern California. Initially reported in numerous states, including Texas and Kansas, Bird flu had confirmed cases across 16 states, according to the CDC at that time.
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In January, President Trump announced the US withdrawal from the WHO citing its ‘mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic.’
The United States is potentially ill-equipped to tackle the next pandemic after President Trump’s recent withdrawal from the World Health Organization.
A statement from the White House asserted: “The United States withdrew from the WHO in 2020 due to the organization’s inadequate handling of the COVID-19 pandemic that originated in Wuhan, along with other global health challenges, failure to implement necessary reforms, and a lack of independence from undue political pressures exerted by member states.”
They also argued that the WHO ‘unfairly demands disproportionate payments from the United States compared to other nations.’
