It comes after a group of scientists said there was an “urgent need for a non-discriminatory and non-stigmatizing name” for the virus, which has mysteriously spread outside Africa in recent weeks. A scientific paper released last week, signed by 29 experts, used the term “hMPXV” for the virus and called for “a quick decision and the adoption of a new name”. They said the continued reference to the virus “being African is not only inaccurate, but also discriminatory and stigmatizing”. The WHO currently names two types of monkey pox as “a branch of West Africa and the Congo (Central African) Basin”. The scientists wrote: “There is a growing narrative in the media and among many scientists trying to link the current global epidemic to Africa or West Africa or Nigeria. In addition, the use of geographic tags for MPXV strains, in particular, refers to the 2022 outbreak as belonging to the “West African” or “West African” genus, strain or genotype. The scientists added that names that are “neutral, non-discriminatory and non-stigmatizing will be more appropriate for the global health community”. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday that the organization was “working with partners and experts around the world to change the name of the monkey pox virus, its branches and the disease it causes”. “We will make announcements about the new names as soon as possible,” he added. Dr Neil Stone, an infectious disease specialist at University College London Hospitals, wrote on Twitter that he was “glad to hear” that the WHO was “working to change the virus’s deeply unpopular name”. The virus was named monkey pox because it was first detected in two groups of laboratory monkeys in 1958. It has since been found in some wild monkeys in parts of Africa, but rodents are believed to be the main source of infection for human outbreaks in endemic areas. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:39 What is it like to stick monkeys On Tuesday, the WHO said it was convening an emergency committee to determine whether the expanding monkeypox epidemic should be considered a global health emergency. Dr Gebregesos said he had convened the meeting on June 23 because the virus showed “unusual” recent behavior by spreading to countries far beyond parts of Africa where it is endemic. “We do not want to wait until the situation gets out of control,” said Ibrahima Socé Fall, WHO’s director of emergency in Africa. Declaring monkey pox as an international health emergency would give it the same characterization as the COVID-19 pandemic and would mean that the WHO considers the usually rare disease to be a continuing threat to countries worldwide. There have been 1,600 confirmed and 1,500 suspected cases of smallpox in 39 countries this year, with 72 deaths reported, the WHO said. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:00 WHO “concern” over monkey pox However, none of the deaths were recorded in the recently affected countries, which include the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United States. A total of 470 cases of smallpox in monkeys have been confirmed in the UK, with the vast majority in gay or bisexual men. British scientists said last week that they could not figure out if the spread of the disease in the UK had peaked. The WHO has now published new guidelines on monkeypox vaccination, saying it does not recommend mass vaccination. He said disease control is mainly based on measures such as surveillance, case monitoring and patient isolation. Read more: The real reason COVID-19 got its name Monkey pox causes flu-like symptoms and skin lesions and is spread through close contact. It is believed to be fatal in about 3-6% of cases, according to the WHO, although no deaths have been reported in the outbreak outside Africa. The majority of deaths this year occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Follow the Daily Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker Last month, a top WHO adviser said the outbreak in Europe and beyond was likely to spread through sex to two recent raves in Spain and Belgium. Scientists warn that anyone, regardless of sexual orientation, can catch monkey pox if they are in close physical contact with an infected person or his or her clothes or sheets. The WHO is working to establish a mechanism by which certain smallpox vaccines – a related disease – could be made available to affected countries as research into their effectiveness against the new epidemic continues.
