Black plague and mpox added to new WHO watch list – along with 35 bugs that threaten the next pandemic

The dreaded plague of the Black Death has been added to the list of pathogens that could trigger the next pandemic.

In its first major change since Covid-19 shook the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) has increased its list of nine “priority pathogens”.

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Bird flu and mpox are also among some of the new diseases that have been added to the list of 37 imminent threats.

It comes just months after the US reported its first death from bubonic plague – a disease that killed tens of millions of people in medieval Europe – since 2020.

Meanwhile, a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu, called H5N1, has been detected in humans in the USA.

Sparking fears around the world that the virus could adapt to better infect humans,

At the same time, a mutant outbreak of mpox in Africa triggered a public health emergency amid fears it could spread out of control.

There are also fears about the Dengue transmitted by mosquitoesOften nicknamed “bone-breaking disease”, it is spreading in Europe at unprecedented rates.

In the observation list, called R&D Plan for Epidemicsscientists also added an incurable disease in mice called hantavirus and swine flu.

Various bacteria, including waterborne cholera and the dreaded salmonella, were also incorporated for the first time.

More than half of the entries were new compared to the 2017 list, when the list was first published.

Among the familiar faces still lurking are Ebola, Marburg and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever – virulent diseases that can cause serious bleeding.

Covid-19, bat-borne Nipah and Lassa fever, which causes seizures, are also on the list, reminding us that these older dangers still pose a significant risk.

Disease X – code for a dangerous virus, yet to be discovered – remains a candidate.

The list was drawn up by 200 scientists from more than 50 countries after analyzing a list of 1,600 bacteria and viruses.

Those marked as having “pandemic potential” were easy to contract and potentially deadly to humans.

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Previously, the 2017 and 2018 lists only included about a dozen pathogens.

Scientists say urban sprawl and deforestation are triggering risky encounters with wildlife, while global travel is giving diseases a free pass to spread across the world.

There is also concern that climate change may be making parts of the world more suitable for the development of disease-spreading creatures.