UK scientists are already developing a vaccine for the next pandemic, Disease X – for the world

A team of around 200 UK researchers is developing a vaccine to bring the next pandemic under control. The work is being carried out at the high-security government laboratory complex in Borton Town, Wiltshire.

According to Sky News, scientists have drawn up a list of threats from animal viruses that can infect humans, but it’s still unclear which one will trigger a new pandemic. This is why they named it “Disease X”. “What we’re trying to do here is we’ve worked as early as possible if there’s a new disease X, a new pathogen. We hope to avoid it. [uma pandemia]. But if we don’t succeed, if we have to react, we’ve already started developing vaccines and treatments to fight it,” said Professor Jenny Harris, director of the United Kingdom Health Safety Agency (UKHSA). Sky News.

The Vaccine Development and Evaluation Center at Borton Town, previously focused on combating Covid-19, has been extended to tackle this task.

One of the team’s first successes was the development of the first vaccine against Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, which is transmitted by ticks with a 30% mortality rate. This and other diseases are becoming more common in Europe as global temperatures rise, increasing the chance of another pandemic, says Professor Jenny Harris. Sky News.

“Part of this is due to factors like urbanization, where the virus can jump to humans. [que vivem perto], happened with bird flu. “Another part is caused by climate change, where things like ticks and mosquitoes are moving to places that used to be cooler and are now warmer and warmer,” he explains.