World Health Organisation (WHO) director general Tedros Ghebreyesus has decided to rename monkeypox as “mpox” after consulting health experts in WHO members states worldwide, APA learnt on Tuesday.
Tedros said the UN agency would now use the new preferred term of “mpox” as a synonym for monkeypox but the two monikers would continue to be used side by side for a year before dropping “monkeypox” entirely.
“When the outbreak of monkeypox expanded earlier this year, racist and stigmatising language online, in other settings and in some communities were observed and reported to the WHO,” the director general said.
He added: “In several meetings, public and private, a number of individuals and countries raised concerns and asked the WHO to propose a way forward to change the name.”
According to him, the role of assigning names to new and existing diseases was the responsibility of the WHO under the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), and the WHO Family of International Health-Related Classifications through a consultative process which included member states.
“WHO, in accordance with the ICD update process, held consultations to gather views from a range of experts, as well as countries and the general public who were invited to submit suggestions for new names,” the WHO chief said.
Based on these consultations and discussions with the director-general, the organisation recommended the adoption of the new synonym “mpox” in English for the disease, he added.
“Mpox will become a preferred term, replacing monkeypox, after a transition period of one year,” Tedros said.
NM/jn/APA