MPOX: New Name for the Virus Formerly Known as Monkeypox
The World Health Organization has a new way of referring to the disease formerly known as monkeypox: MPOX.
It’s a new name for a virus whose name offended some. “When the outbreak of monkeypox expanded earlier this year, racist and stigmatizing language online, in other settings and in some communities was observed and reported to WHO,” the global health group reported in a news release. “In several meetings, public and private, a number of individuals and countries raised concerns and asked WHO to propose a way forward to change the name.”
For the next year, MPOX and monkeypox both will be used, WHO said in the news release. Phaseout of monkeypox also will occur.
World Health Organization Controls Nomenclature
Under the International Classification for Diseases, or ICD, WHO is responsible for naming the globe’s ills. WHO consulted with its director general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in recommending:
- Adoption of the new synonym MPOX in English.
- A year-long transition for the name changes, which “serves to mitigate the concerns raised by experts about confusion caused by a name change in the midst of a global outbreak.”
- The synonym MPOX be included in the ICD-10, the current global standard for health data, clinical documentation, and statistical aggregation.
Global Consultation
Guiding its decision, WHO listed as factors scientific appropriateness, current usage, pronounceability, usability in different languages, and the absence of geographical or zoological references.
Usually, it takes several years to rename a disease, according to the news release. Still, a global contingent offered input on the name change.
“Various advisory bodies were heard during the consultation process, including experts from the medical and scientific and classification and statistics advisory committees which constituted of representatives from government authorities of 45 different countries,” according to the release. “The preferred term MPOX can be used in other languages.”
