US conspiracy theorists monetise ‘Disease X’ misinformation

The conspiracy theories particularly took off after the World Economic Forum – a magnet for misinformation – convened a ‘Preparing for Disease X’ panel in January focused on a possible future pandemic. — AP

WASHINGTON: Coined by the World Health Organization to denote a hypothetical future pandemic, “Disease X” is at the center of a blizzard of misinformation that American conspiracy theorists are amplifying – and profiting from.

The falsehoods, including that the unknown pathogen indicates an elitist plot to depopulate the earth, appeared to originate in the United States but spilled to Asia in multiple regional languages, AFP fact-checkers found.