Outbreak of super flu 'Disease X' could wipe out 80 million people in 36 hours

A deadly outbreak of super flu dubbed “Disease X” could wipe out 80million people across the world in two days.
A report by experts at the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board said: “The threat of a pandemic spreading around the globe is a real one.
“A quick-moving pathogen has the potential to kill tens of millions of people, disrupt economies and destabilise ­national security.”

The outbreak could kill between 50 and 80million people and spread worldwide within 36 to 50 hours, adds the report.

It could wipe out nearly 5% of the global economy and lead to social chaos.

In the case of a pandemic, many national health systems, especially in poor countries, would collapse.
Axel van Trotsenburg, acting head of the World Bank and a member of the expert panel, said: “Poverty and fragility ­exacerbate outbreaks of ­infectious disease and help create the conditions for ­pandemics to take hold.”

Experts have previously warned that Disease X could kill millions of healthy people if it mimics past pandemics.

The new report warned that viral diseases such as Ebola, flu and SARS are increasingly tough to manage in a world dominated by lengthy ­conflicts, fragile states and forced migration.

Some countries have made efforts to be vigilant and ­prepare for ­outbreaks of major diseases, but the new report adds that those efforts are “grossly insufficient”.