The World Health Organization (WHO) is initiating a global scientific process to update the list of priority pathogens—agents that can cause outbreaks or pandemics—to direct global investment, research, and development (R&D), especially in vaccinations, testing, and treatments.

On Monday, it announced that the process will bring together more than 300 scientists to discuss the evidence surrounding more than 25 different virus families, bacterial species, and "Disease X."

The inclusion of disease X serves to highlight an unidentified infection that has the potential to spark a severe global epidemic. The specialists will provide a prioritized list of pathogens in need of additional study and funding. Criteria for the process will be based on science and public health, as well as socioeconomic effect, equity, and access considerations.

The list was initially released in 2017, and the most recent exercise in prioritization was completed in 2018. The present list has enlisted COVID-19, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Crimean-Cong hemorrhagic fever, Ebola virus disease and Marburg virus disease, Lassa fever, Nipah and henipaviral diseases, Zika virus infection, Rift Valley fever, and Disease X at the moment.

The WHO R&D Blueprint for Epidemics has created R&D roadmaps, which outline knowledge gaps and research goals for infections designated as priorities. Target product profiles are created when necessary to provide developers with information on the ideal conditions for vaccines, treatments, and diagnostic procedures. To create these tools, efforts are also made to map, gather, and support clinical trials. Complementary actions, such as enhancing regulatory and ethical scrutiny, are also considered.

(Source:  https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/who-to-identify-pathogens-that-could-cause-future-outbreaks-pandemics/95675776)