Many conspiracy theories begin as misinterpretations, and that's the case with the latest viral chatter around Disease X. Specifically, some online posters have failed to understand what a hypothetical situation is, or why an organization whose job it is to fight pandemics might imagine a future pandemic in order to get prepared for one.

Of course, the difference between what's real or what's not real doesn't really matter if everything is a lie created by aliens to manipulate you. But we can be pretty sure Disease X is purely hypothetical.

What Does 'Disease X' Mean?

Disease X is a hypothetical disease that could arrive and begin a pandemic. It is the placeholder name which the World Health Organization uses in documents for planning and preparation to fight a possible pandemic. Disease X, for the World Health Organization, is a kind of worst-case scenario which the authorities should be prepared to address.

It is not any specific disease, and it does not exist. But that has not stopped conspiracy theorists from taking a vague planning document and turning it into a whole series of stories about a lab-cooked virus and dark plotting by powerful people.

Where Did 'Disease X' Come From?

The name Disease X refers to a disease that could come from a previously unknown but dangerous microbe. It's a hypothetical placeholder name: it could be a new form of ebola, a new kind of bird flu, or anything else. The first references to it occurred in 2018, in a list of "priority diseases" the organization wanted to prepare for. Including Disease X was an acknowledgement that the most dangerous disease might be one that humans don't even know about yet.

Some have argued that Covid 19 was the first Disease X, since it was a previously unknown virus that arrived and did considerable damage.

How Are People Using 'Disease X' In Memes?

Some have turned the 'Disease X' meme against the conspiracists who first embraced it. They associated Disease X with X, the new name given to Twitter by its new owner Elon Musk. Some on the fringes even wondered if Musk had named the platform X because he's in cahoots with the Deep State.

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For the full history of Disease X, be sure to check out our entry on the meme here for even more information.