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“Disease X”: a WHO working hypothesis hijacked by conspiracy theorists
When the World Health Organization designated a hypothetical future pandemic as “Disease X,” misinformation amplified by conspiracy theorists took advantage of it.
(France 2)
When the World Health Organization designated a hypothetical future pandemic as “Disease X,” misinformation amplified by conspiracy theorists took advantage of it.
Conspiracy theories abounded after the World Economic Forum in Davos organized a roundtable in January 2024 titled “Preparing for Disease X,” focused on a possible future pandemic. Alex Jones, the founder of the site Infowars who made millions of dollars spreading conspiracy theories about mass shootings and Covid-19, claimed on social media that there was a global plan to deploy disease “our bodies” And “our lives”.
Medical kits for $300
By stoking fears about Disease X, some are also taking advantage of this false information to sell medical kits containing treatment for Covid-19 for around $300. A treatment which, according to health experts, has not been proven. “The day there are other serious health problems, a mass of the population will already have been acclimatized to the idea that we are being ‘lied to’. This distances the population from health policy which should be useful”specifies Tristan Mendès-France, specialist in digital cultures and online extremism.
