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| - FACT CHECK: TikTok Post Falsely Claims ‘Disease X’ Is The ‘Next Plandemic’
A video shared on TikTok purports “Disease X” is the next “Plandemic,” or planned pandemic.
@awakenurse #screammovie is this real? #fyp #pandemics #diseasex #nursenews #getready #planahead #bewell #besafe #thenextpandemic ♬ Get You the Moon – Syf
Verdict: False
The term “Disease X” refers to an “unidentified and potential future pandemic caused by animal viruses capable of infecting humans and spreading globally,” according to The Independent. A spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO) denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.
Fact Check:
Secretary of State Antony Blinken appeared at a recent event that launched the State Department’s Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy, Spectrum News NY1 reported. The State Department launched the bureau as a way to tackle existing and future potential health threats, according to the Washington Examiner.
“Disease X, The Next Plandemic,” the TikTok video purports.
The claim is false, however. The term “Disease X” refers to an “unidentified and potential future pandemic caused by animal viruses capable of infecting humans and spreading globally,” according to The Independent. The term appears in an Aug. 8 article from the outlet detailing how scientists from the UK have launched a new vaccine center to tackle potential future health threats.
Likewise, the term “Disease X” is included in a list of priority diseases on the WHO’s website. “Disease X represents the knowledge that a serious international epidemic could be caused by a pathogen currently unknown to cause human disease. The [Research & Development, or R&D] Blueprint explicitly seeks to enable early cross-cutting R&D preparedness that is also relevant for an unknown “Disease X,” the organization’s website indicates.
There is no mention of “Disease X” being a planned pandemic, as the TikTok video suggests, however. (RELATED: Did The Military Arrest 19,000 Doctors For COVID Crimes?)
In addition, the idea that “Disease X” is the next planned pandemic neither appears on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s website nor its verified social media accounts. Furthermore, there are no credible news reports supporting the claim.
The term “plandemic” is derived from a 2020 film of the same name. The film featured scientist Judy Mikovits and claimed that a group of elite people were using the COVID-19 pandemic and COVID-19 vaccines to “profit and gain power,” according to The New York Times. The film was removed by Facebook and labeled as a “conspiracy theory,” The Washington Post reported.
WHO spokesperson Fadela Chaib denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.
“Disease X is not the name of an existing disease. Instead, it refers to a future disease caused by a yet-unknown pathogen. It represents the idea that a serious international epidemic could be caused by a pathogen currently unknown to cause human disease, as was the case with COVID-19,” Chaib said.
Chaib also directed us to the online agenda for a 2022 WHO meeting focused on developing scientific strategies to prepare for future pandemics, or Pathogen X.
Additionally, Check Your Fact has contacted the CDC for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.
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