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The World Health Organization announced on Tuesday that it would rename the monkeypox virus, which has infected more than 1,600 people in 39 countries this year, after a team of scientists expressed concern that the name could be tarnished. “The WHO is also working with partners and experts from around the world to change the name of the monkeypox virus, its branches and the disease it causes,” World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Andranum Gebregesus told a news conference. Tuesday. “We will announce the new names as soon as possible.” The announcement comes after a team of more than 30 international scientists urged the health community to change the name of the virus last week. “The prevailing perception in the international media and scientific literature is that MPXV is endemic to humans in some African countries. However, it is well established that almost all MPXV cases in Africa before the 2022 outbreak were the result of animal leakage. “In humans alone, there have been rare reports of ongoing human-to-human transmission,” the researchers wrote on June 10. “In the context of the current global epidemic, the constant reporting and nomenclature of this African virus is not only inaccurate but also discriminatory and stigmatizing.” In this graphic leaflet of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the symptoms of the monkey pox virus appear in the hand of a patient. (CDC / Getty Images) The WHO lists two known branches of monkey pox on its website, “one found in West Africa (WA) and one in the Congo Basin (CB)”. The team wrote that the use of this nomenclature is “contrary to the best practice of avoiding geographical locations in the nomenclature of diseases and groups of diseases”. WHO: THE “ESTABLISHMENT” OF BLESSING IN NON-INDEMNITIVE COUNTRIES IS A “REAL” DANGER According to the CDC, scientists first discovered monkey pox during two outbreaks of monkey-like disease at a research facility in Denmark in 1958. The first human case was found in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970. In this photo provided by the ISCIII Electron Microscopy Unit in Madrid on Thursday, May 26, 2022, an electron microscope image shows the monkey pox virus. (ISCIII Electron Microscopy Unit, via AP) The largest current outbreak is in the United Kingdom, where health officials have identified 470 cases. Human-to-human transmission of the virus occurs mainly through direct contact with infected individuals or surfaces that are infected. HAWAIE MENTIONS THIRD CASE OF MONKEY BLESSING POSSIBILITY Gebregesos also said the WHO would convene an emergency meeting next week to determine whether the spread of monkey pox should be considered a global public health emergency. A healthcare worker prepares a syringe at a monkeypox vaccination clinic run by the CIUSSS Public Health Authority in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, June 6, 2022. (REUTERS / Christinne Muschi) “The outbreak of monkey pox is unusual and disturbing,” Gebregesus said on Tuesday. “For this reason, I have decided to convene an emergency committee under international health regulations next week to assess whether this epidemic represents a public health emergency of international concern.” CLICK HERE TO RECEIVE THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION The CDC has reported 65 cases of monkey pox in the United States, including 15 in California and 11 in New York. Monkey pox has similar symptoms to smallpox, but is milder. Infected people usually develop flu-like symptoms followed by a rash that turns into lesions. The WHO has had a troubled run in recent years, accusing it of failing to keep China transparent as the COVID pandemic swept the world from Wuhan and then accusing it of omitting the Greek letter Xi when naming variants of the virus to avoid offending it. China’s communist leader, President Xi Jinping. Paul Best is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and Twitter: @KincaidBest.