Overview

• BBC Two aired Disease X: Hunting the Next Pandemic, with Chris van Tulleken traveling from WHO headquarters to field sites to investigate emerging pathogens.
• Experts spotlight Henipaviruses and H5N1 bird flu as leading concerns, illustrating past spillovers such as Nipah moving from pigs to people with bats as the reservoir.
• Simulation sequences show a 3% mortality pathogen racing worldwide and causing far more deaths than a deadlier virus because people take fewer precautions.
• The documentary includes an on‑the‑ground claim that raw, unpasteurised milk from H5N1‑infected cows has transmitted the virus to domestic cats, which is presented with limited evidence.
• Scientists demonstrate faster detection and response using genomic sequencing and AI—work shown in Glasgow and linked to partners in Uganda—to accelerate identification and countermeasure development.