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Poxy McPoxface, TRUMP-22, or Mpox: These are some of the ideas from the public when the World Health Organization was looking for a new name for monkeypox.
Disease names are often chosen behind closed doors by technical committees, but WHO has now decided to open the process to the public. After a slow start, we have received dozens of submissions from a variety of contributors, including academics, doctors, and gay community activists.
They range from technical (OPOXID-22 submitted by Harvard Medical School emergency physician Jeremy Faust) to farcical (submitted by Andrew Yi referring to Poxy McPoxface, Boaty McBoatface). vote for your choice).
Monkeypox: What You Need to Know About the Virus and How to Protect Yourself
Pressure is mounting for a new name for the disease, in part because critics say it’s misleading because monkeys aren’t the original animal hosts. A group of leading scientists have issued a position paper calling for a “neutral, non-discriminatory and non-biased” name amid concerns the name could be used in racist ways. was written in June.
Until this year, monkeypox was endemic only in some countries, mainly in West and Central Africa.
WHO spokesperson Fadela Scheib said Tuesday: “Finding a new name for monkeypox is very important. This is a way to avoid offending ethical groups, communities, countries, animals, etc. Because it’s the best way.
“WHO is very concerned about this issue and would like to find a name that will not stigmatize it,” she added, without giving a timeline.
One of the most popular proposals so far is Mpox, put forward by Samuel Miriello, director of men’s health organization RÉZO, who has already used the name in an outreach campaign in Montreal, Canada. .
“It seems that removing the monkey image will help people understand more quickly that there is an emergency that needs to be taken seriously,” he told Reuters.
Another proposal, TRUMP-22, appeared to refer to former President Donald Trump’s use of the controversial term “Chinese virus” for the new coronavirus, but its authors called it “the year 2022.” “a toxic rash of unrecognized and mysterious origin”.
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Posts mocking the gay community had previously been posted but were later removed from the WHO site.
WHO has the authority to assign new names to existing diseases based on the International Classification of Diseases. Already renamed monkeypox virus subspecies or clades, changing African regions to Roman numerals.
The WHO said it would decide among proposals “according to their scientific validity, acceptability, pronounceability[and]their ability to be used in different languages”.
“I’m sure you won’t come up with a silly name,” Chive said.
Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 and named after the animal that first showed symptoms. The WHO declared the current outbreak a public health emergency last month, reporting more than 32,000 cases from more than 80 countries.