What money, who monkey?! While the world is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, monkeypox is on the rise. With more than 1,600 confirmed cases of monkeypox reported from 39 countries this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday announced that it would be renaming the virus after 64 years. According to People, the name change is in direct response to more than 30 scientists around the world who have called for the virus to be renamed.
General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director of WHO, said in a press conference, “WHO is also working with partners and experts around the world to change the name of the monkeypox virus, its groups and the disease it causes.” Another spokesman said the name did not follow the organization’s guidelines that recommend avoiding geographic regions and animal names. The main reason the scientist pushed for the name change is detailed in a letter published June 10 via Time.
The scientists wrote that while the origin of the current monkeypox outbreak is unknown, there is an inaccurate narrative linking all cases to Africa. “In the context of the current global outbreak, the continued reference to and nomenclature of this virus as African is not only inaccurate but also stigmatizing and discriminatory,” the letter states. . Although all cases are unrelated to Africa, the CDC has explained the origin of the name. Reports suggest that monkeypox gets this name because it was first identified in 1958 in monkey populations.
However, the first human case of monkeypox was discovered in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In addition, cases are mainly concentrated in the Congo and Nigeria. Today, NBC News said the United States reported 72 cases across 18 states last month, making it the country’s largest outbreak of monkeypox ever. Roommate, do you think the name change is necessary?
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