Rospotrebnadzor assessed Russia's readiness for new viruses

Russia's readiness for the emergence of new infections and viruses is at a high level, the press service of Rospotrebnadzor reported. This is how the department commented on the discussion of the risk of the spread of “disease X” on the sidelines of the National People's Congress.

“Today in RUSSIA, readiness for new infectious challenges is at a high level,” the press service reported ( quoted by TASS ).

Rospotrebnadzor clarified that the country has a “Sanitary Shield” system for combating infections, is developing a network of PCR centers, domestic test systems, and is also developing new vaccines, including with the support of foreign partners.

The department again explained the interest in “disease X” solely for economic reasons, noting that it is “beneficial to large pharmaceutical companies, including due to the memory of the CORONAVIRUS pandemic.”

“Disease X” is an abstract disease that has the potential to cause an international epidemic. According to the HEAD of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , Anthony Fauci, the “X” in the name means “surprise.”

In 2018, the World HEALTH Organization added Disease X to its list of priority diseases to speed up research into the pathogen, which could potentially lead to a new pandemic.

The organization estimates that its mortality rate could be 20 times higher than that of covid-19 . In 2020, following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, experts suggested that the SARS-CoV-2 strain that caused COVID-19 could be “Disease X.”