01 March 2025 : Editorial
Editorial: The World Health Organization (WHO) Updated List of Emerging and Potentially Pandemic Pathogens Includes Yersinia pestis as Plague Vaccines Await Clinical Trials
Dinah V. Parums A 1*DOI: 10.12659/MSM.948672
Med Sci Monit 2025; 31:e948672
Table 1 The World Health Organization (WHO) updated list of emerging and potentially pandemic human pathogens [6,7].
| Pathogen | Disease | Source of infection | Emerging or re-emerging |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plague | Vector-borne | Re-emerging | |
| Lyme disease | Vector-borne | Emerging | |
| Cholera | Waterborne | Re-emerging | |
| Bartonellosis | Zoonotic | Emerging | |
| Methicillin-resistant (MRSA) | Direct contact or contamination | Re-emerging | |
| Vancomycin-resistant (VRSA) | Direct contact or contamination | Re-emerging | |
| Pathogenic strains (O157: H7 & O104: H4) | Pathogenic | Foodborne | Emerging |
| Diphtheria | Respiratory, direct contact | Re-emerging | |
| Typhoid fever | Foodborne | Re-emerging | |
| Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis infections | Respiratory, direct contact | Re-emerging | |
| infection | Feco-oral spread | Re-emerging | |
| Carbapenem-resistant (CRE) | Direct contact | Emerging | |
| Gonorrhea | Sexual transmission | Emerging | |
| Legionnaires disease | Respiratory transmission by inhalation | Re-emerging | |
| Direct contact or contamination | Emerging | ||
| Shigellosis | Feco-oral spread | Re-emerging | |
| West Nile virus | West Nile fever | Vector-borne | Re-emerging |
| Hantavirus | Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome | Zoonotic | Emerging |
| Dengue virus | Dengue fever | Vector-borne | Re-emerging |
| Zika virus | Zika virus disease | Vector-borne | Re-emerging |
| Yellow fever virus | Yellow fever | Vector-borne | Re-emerging |
| Japanese encephalitis virus | Japanese encephalitis | Vector-borne | Re-emerging |
| Marburg virus | Marburg hemorrhagic fever | Zoonotic | Re-emerging |
| Rift Valley fever virus | Rift Valley fever | Vector-borne | Re-emerging |
| Ebola virus | Ebola hemorrhagic fever | Zoonotic | Re-emerging |
| Lassa virus | Lassa fever | Zoonotic | Re-emerging |
| Hendra virus | Hendra virus infection | Zoonotic | Emerging |
| Nipah virus | Nipah virus infection | Zoonotic | Emerging |
| H5N1, H7N9 influenza virus | Highly pathogenic avian influenza | Zoonotic | Emerging |
| SARS-CoV-1 | Severe acute respiratory syndrome | Respiratory, person to person | Emerging |
| SARS-CoV-2 | COVID-19 | Respiratory, person to person | Emerging |
| MERS-CoV | Middle East Respiratory Syndrome | Zoonotic, respiratory, person to person | Emerging Emerging |
| Swine-origin H1N1 influenza virus | 2009 pandemic influenza | Respiratory, person to person | Emerging |
| Oropouche virus | Oropouche Fever | Insect bite | Emerging |
| Borealpox virus | Borealpox | Zoonotic | Emerging |
| Akhmeta virus | Akhmeta virus | Zoonotic | Emerging |
| Drug-resistant malaria | Vector-borne | Re-emerging | |
| Cyclosporiasis infections | Foodborne | Emerging | |