Minister of Health Viktor Lyashko said that Ukraine is preparing for a potential "disease X" pandemic based on the experience gained during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is Viktor Lyashko Told me at the briefing "Disease X": will there be a new pandemic and how is Ukraine preparing for potential threats?"
"In the health care system, personnel resources were provided, the material and technical base was improved, and a global partnership was launched, which allows us to be ready for the challenges associated with "disease X". said the minister.
Lyashko added that the Ministry of Health has identified three components that are key in preparing for a potential pandemic. According to him, it is about the availability of personnel, a network of laboratories and partnership with the countries of the European Union.
The minister informed that currently there are about 15 employees working in the Ukrainian health care system.
"Over the past 3 years, we have almost doubled the financing of the health care industry - in 2021, the state allocated UAH 2,6 billion, and now - UAH 4,9 billion. This means that we pay specialists who work in the system and will be able to react to the spread of a potential pathogen (disease — ed.)." said Lyashko.
In addition, he noted that the state also invests in improving the material and technical base in medical facilities. In particular, last year 193 institutions received a package from the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSHU) entitled "Preparedness for epidemics or outbreaks of infectious diseases." According to Lyashko, the medical facility employs specialists who must undergo appropriate training, and intensive care units and the necessary equipment must also be equipped.
"Also, on the basis of these institutions, a stock is formed - a medical basket is a list of appropriate medicines with a 3-month supply," — said Lyashko.
In turn, the representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Ukraine, Jarno Habicht, said that "disease X" is a hypothetical disease, which since 2018 has been included as a separate item in the list of diseases as a conditional designation for a possible virus that can lead to pandemic
According to him, about 150 viruses that can cause this disease are currently known.
"The conditional designation of 'disease X' is what helps us prepare for the future. Being a hypothetical disease, which WHO included in the list of known names in case of designation of a potential disease. And now we have a list of about 150 different viruses that can lead to such a disease by becoming their causative agent. But exactly which of these or perhaps other pathogens will lead to this, no one in this world knows," - Habicht said.
On January 17, 2024, the head of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated that the idea of the so-called "disease X" is not new - the WHO has been using this term since 2018. This is because there are known threats such as MERS, Zika and Ebola. But there are also unknown things that can happen in the future, so a substitute for "a disease we don't know about but may appear" was needed.
"Disease X" - it is a hypothetical name for an unknown pathogen capable of causing an epidemic or pandemic. As early as 2018, WHO included "disease X" in the global list of diseases and pathogens that have priority for research and development in the context of public health emergencies.
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