Disease X' May Hit the World in Near Future, Warns Scientist The world could be hit by a new deadly virus 'Disease X', a disease that is fast-spreading like the COVID-19 and as deadly as the Ebola virus, the scientist who discovered Ebola warned. Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe Tamfum, who helped discover Ebola virus in 1976, warned humanity that more deadly viruses are likely to be discovered in the near future.  He added saying that 'Disease X' is hypothetical but could be deadly and might lead to the destruction around the world. Tamfum further informed that there are new and potentially fatal viruses emerging from Africa's tropical rainforests.