Earlier today, the World Health Organization announced via a news release that they will now refer to monkeypox as mpox. Specifically, they referenced concerns that many shared over racist language associated with the virus.
On their decision to rename the virus, the organization stated, “When the outbreak of monkeypox expanded earlier this year, racist and stigmatizing language online, in other settings and in some communities was observed and reported to WHO.”
“In several meetings, public and private, a number of individuals and countries raised concerns and asked WHO to propose a way forward to change the name,” they added.
The monkeypox virus began trending earlier this year after the WHO announced a global outbreak.
It can be spread through “close contact with an infected person or animal, or with material contaminated with the virus.” Symptoms of the virus include a rash, fever, chills, exhaustion and swollen lymph nodes.
Monkeypox has since become a household name. As a result, many brought up concerns about the word often being associated with racism and prejudiced language.
This past August, a group of medical health professionals published an open letter. In it, they urged officials to give the virus a “non-discriminatory and non-stigmatizing” name.
They also wrote that monkeypox has often been displayed in the media as an endemic in African countries. “...it is well established that nearly all MPXV outbreaks in Africa prior to the 2022 outbreak, have been the result of spillover from animals to humans and only rarely have there been reports of sustained human-to-human transmissions."
Citing the discriminatory effect, the letter continued, “In the context of the current global outbreak, continued reference to, and nomenclature of this virus being African is not only inaccurate but is also discriminatory and stigmatizing.”
Per the recent release, the WHO revealed that both monkeypox and mpox will be used simultaneously for the next year. At the same time, "monkeypox" will be phased out.
Check back in with HNHH later for more news updates.