Disease X, a hypothetical illness with the potential for 20 times more fatalities than the COVID-19 pandemic, was the focal point of a panel discussion in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, where international leaders gathered to deliberate on the potential looming threat.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) held a meeting called 'Preparing for Disease X,' with a panel of speakers including the World Health Organization (WHO) and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, that were pegged to discuss “what novel efforts are needed” to prepare the health-care system for the potential challenges ahead.

“Disease X represents the knowledge that a serious international epidemic could be caused by a pathogen currently unknown to cause human disease,” the WHO states on its website. The goal is to be prepared as much as possible for an unknown “Disease X,” it added.

Global's Katherine Ward has more on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether Canada would be ready for Disease X.

For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/news/10228827/disease-x-davos/

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