Monkeypox May Get New Name to Curb Stigma

By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Aug. 15, 2022 (HealthDay News) – Monkeypox might quickly get a brand new title.

The World Health Organization introduced Friday that it plans to rename the situation to eradicate any derogatory or racist connotations, a choice in alignment with present greatest practices for naming ailments.

“The naming of virus species is the accountability of the International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV), which has a course of underway for the title of the monkeypox virus,” WHO mentioned in an announcement.

The U.N. well being company made the choice after a gathering with scientists. WHO will maintain an open discussion board to think about new names not offensive to particular teams.

The company has already renamed two households (clades) of the illness, eradicating geographic space names together with Congo Basin and West Africa and changing them with monikers reminiscent of Clade one and two or with Roman numerals I and II.

The intent is to “keep away from inflicting offense to any cultural, social, nationwide, regional, skilled, or ethnic teams, and reduce any unfavourable influence on commerce, journey, tourism or animal welfare,” WHO mentioned.

According to the Associated Press, another ailments nonetheless do carry names from geographic areas the place they started or have been first recognized, together with Japanese encephalitis, Marburg virus, Spanish influenza and Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

More info:

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has extra on monkeypox.

SOURCE : WHO assertion, Aug. 12, 2022; Associated Press