The World Health Organization (WHO) plans to rename the disease monkeypox, and it wants to listen to some suggestions from the general public before making the massive move.
The United Nations health agency said Friday that it’s holding an open forum to rename monkeypox. It has already renamed two families, or clades, of the virus using Roman numerals as an alternative of geographic locations. The agency desires to rename the disease next.
Per the WHO, the version of the virus formerly known as the Congo Basin can be called Clade one or I moving forward. The West Africa clade, however, can be called Clade two or II, ABC News reported.
The choice to rename the disease comes amid concerns over derogatory and racist connotations of its original name. The agency also hopes that this could prevent stigmatization.
The organization met with scientists earlier this week to debate the perfect practices for naming diseases, in order that they could “avoid causing offense to any cultural, social, national, regional, skilled, or ethnic groups, and minimize any negative impact on trade, travel, tourism or animal welfare.”
In keeping with the agency, “anyone wishing to propose latest names can achieve this” through its open consultation. The forum is open to the general public, and everyone seems to be allowed to submit ideas through this online portal.
The move didn’t come as a shock for the reason that WHO announced nearly two months ago that it was planning to rename the virus amid calls from international scientists and public health officials fearful over the harmful stigma that comes with its name, as per Bloomberg.
Monkeypox got its name in 1958 when research monkeys in Denmark developed a “pox-like” disease despite the fact that they weren’t considered the animal reservoir of the disease.
Since May, health experts have determined greater than 31,000 cases of monkeypox outside of Africa. The agency officially declared monkeypox a global emergency in July. Meanwhile, the U.S. declared it a national emergency earlier this month.
Around 98% of the cases reported outside of Africa were of men who’ve sex with men. Authorities have since encouraged the at-risk population to get vaccinated amid the outbreak.
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