The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that it will use the name “Mpox” to replace the term monkeypox.
According to Reuters, the WHO stated that the decision was made after receiving several complaints about the name monkeypox, which was perceived as having racial implications and causing unnecessary stigma.
The WHO has decided to change the name of monkeypox to mpox after receiving complaints about the racial implications and misunderstandings surrounding the disease. (Photo: Reuters).
“Both names, ‘monkeypox’ and ‘Mpox’, will be used simultaneously for one year until the name ‘monkeypox’ is completely phased out,” the WHO statement said.
Previously, public health researchers indicated that the term monkeypox caused unnecessary misunderstandings and reinforced public misconceptions about Africa, while also discouraging infected individuals from seeking medical care, as reported by the New York Times.
Since the beginning of this year, the WHO has launched a public consultation campaign to find a new name for monkeypox.
One of the most supported names is “mpox” or “Mpox”, suggested by a men’s health organization named RÉZO and several others. The director of RÉZO stated that removing the monkey imagery from the disease’s name helps raise public awareness about the severity of the illness.
Other names were also popular among the public, such as “Poxy McPoxface,” a play on words related to Boaty McBoatface, a British polar exploration vessel.
Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 and was named after the first animal to exhibit symptoms of the disease.
Monkeypox typically spreads in countries in West and Central Africa. To date, there have been a total of 80,000 reported cases of monkeypox in 110 countries, with 55 fatalities.
