WHO Renaming Monkeypox Due to Discriminatory Concerns

After a group of experts expressed Concerns that the term may be stigmatising, the World Health Organization stated Tuesday that the monkeypox virus, which has infected over 1,600 individuals in 39 countries this year, will be renamed.

At a news conference on Tuesday, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “WHO is also working with partners and experts from across the world on updating the nomenclature of monkeypox virus, its clades, and the disease it causes.” “As soon as feasible, we’ll make an announcement regarding the new names.”

The news comes after a group of more than 30 worldwide experts petitioned the medical community last week to alter the virus’s name. “MPXV is thought to be endemic in various African nations, according to the worldwide media and scientific research. However, it is generally known that virtually all MPXV epidemics in Africa previous to the 2022 outbreak were caused by animal-to-human transmissions, with just a few cases of persistent human-to-human transmissions “On June 10, the scientists published a paper.

After a group of experts expressed Concerns that the term may be stigmatizing, the World Health Organization stated Tuesday that the monkeypox virus, which has infected over 1,600 individuals in 39 countries this year, will be renamed. At a news conference on Tuesday, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “WHO is also working with partners and experts from across the world on updating the nomenclature of monkeypox virus, its clades, and the disease it causes.” “As soon as feasible, we’ll announce the new names.”