KUCHING: ‘Disease X’, coined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) is just a hypothetical disease with unknown characteristics but one which holds the potential to cause future epidemics and pandemics.
Public health expert from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) Dr Helmy Hazmi said the name ‘Disease X’ is not a special name given to a specific disease but instead, it is the concept of naming a potential disease that has the ingredients needed to cause an outbreak but yet to be identified.
“Therefore, this implies that the society and the governments of the world must maintain a state of readiness, be in constant surveillance for new diseases, and be ready to spring into action on any emergence of infectious diseases,” he told New Sarawak Tribune.
On preventive measures, Dr Helmy said it is a shared role between the government and the public.
He said the Covid-19 pandemic should serve as a poignant reminder to all.
Dr Helmy said the public health infrastructure does not only refer to the physical assets but also the software assets which includes the training of healthcare workers and continually striving for a lean and efficient healthcare system.
He stressed that such factors are important to absorb the initial impact of an epidemic, especially within the context of a global pandemic.
Additionally, he said education and communication are also other important tools for modifying behaviour especially among the public in the context of preventive measures.
“How can the public be ready and quickly adopt certain behaviours such as physical distancing, masking up and others when they face high risk situations, for example, in a mass gathering?
“Hand washing and seeking early help should already be a habit, even in the younger generation. How can we sustain these simple yet effective infectious disease preventive measures?
“There are more, but to get the gist, we need a proper strategy that is government and people friendly,” he said.
He also advised the public to avoid complacency and to heed precautionary measures.
“The precautionary measures includes such as hand washing, wearing a mask, physical distancing, coughing etiquette and getting the relevant vaccines that are not limited to Covid-19 alone.
“Do your own risk assessment and act judiciously in response,” he added.
Meanwhile, a microbiologist from Unimas Dr Siti Fairouz Ibrahim said as the disease is yet to be known as an infectious disease, the action to be taken include practising good hygiene and staying away from a potentially infectious situations or substances.
“The public can just be alert for the latest news or announcement from verified sources like the Ministry of Health (MoH),” she advised.
Previously, MoH in various media reports said that the Ministry is on high alert for any possible existence of ‘Disease X’ in the country.
Its deputy minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni said the preparations were based on the experience of dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic and other infections, despite the fact that the disease had not yet been discovered.
He has said that the MoH would always monitor developments at home as well as abroad and ensure the country’s health system was strengthened to face any eventuality.
