The new name for monkeypox must be aligned with best practices in naming of infectious diseases to avoid the uninformed negative narrative that associate diseases with regions.
In its latest update on monkey pox in mid-June, the World Health Organization said that cases had been reported from 42 member states across five of its regions – the Americas, Africa, Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, and Western Pacific. A total of 2,103 laboratory cases had been reported, including one death.
Just prior to the WHO’s statement a group of 29 scientists advocated for a non-discriminatory and non-stigmatising nomenclature for monkeypox virus. In addition, there is a long dark history of black people being compared to monkeys. No disease nomenclature should provide a trigger for this. Nearly all monkeypox outbreaks in Africa prior to 2022 emanated from spillover from animals to humans. Only rarely have there been reports of sustained human-to-human transmission. This has not been so with the cases reported since May 2022. The cases presented at healthcare facilities involved people who had travelled to countries outside of Africa.
Naming conventions WHO guidelines recommend avoiding animal names or geographic regions for viruses and diseases.
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