The World Health Organization said it was holding a public forum to rename monkeypox after some critics feared the name could have derogatory or racist connotations.
In a statement Friday, the UN health agency said it also renamed two families of the virus Or branch, use Roman numerals instead of geographic areas to avoid stigma. The version of the disease formerly known as the Congo Basin will now be referred to as the first clade or first clade, while the West African clade will be referred to as the second or second clade.
WHO said the decision was made following a meeting of scientists this week and was in line with the current naming Disease best practices, which aim to “avoid any cultural, social, national, regional, professional or ethnic group and minimize any negative impact on trade, travel, tourism or animal welfare.”
Many other diseases, including Japanese encephalitis, Marburg virus, Spanish flu and MERS, are based on the geography in which they first appeared or were discovered area naming. WHO has not publicly recommended changing any of these names.
Monkeypox was first named in 1958, when research monkeys in Denmark were observed to have a “pox-like” disease, Although they are not considered animal hosts.
WHO says it also opens up a way for the public to suggest new names for monkeypox, but does not say when any new names will be announced name.
To date, more than 31,000 cases of monkeypox have been identified worldwide since May, most of them outside Africa . Monkeypox has been endemic in parts of central and western Africa for decades before triggering a large outbreak outside the continent until May.
The World Health Organization declared the global spread of monkeypox an international emergency in July, and the United States declared its The epidemic in the country is a national emergency.
Outside Africa, 98% of cases occur in men who have sex with men. With global vaccine supplies limited, authorities are racing to stop monkeypox before it becomes a new disease.
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