There are many diseases that contain (animal) names and places in their names: swine flu, bird flu, Spanish flu, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and an ex-president of the USA just couldn't help it , calling the SARS-CoV-2 virus “China virus” at every opportunity. And now we have monkeypox, which is problematic due to its name and imagery in many media.
Because of this, the WHO will rename monkeypox.
The open letter from 30 scientists
On June 10, 30 scientists in an open letter (see HERE ) pointed out the "urgent need" to change language related to the monkeypox virus, as it could promote discrimination against people, particularly the continued reference to Africa (where the virus is endemic) and the use of images of African people in media coverage of the current outbreak in Europe and the USA.
It used to be standard practice to name newly discovered pathogens after the place of discovery, but this often led to misunderstandings. For example, the name “Spanish flu” is misleading because the origin of the disease is not in Spain, but the disease was first reported there, which is why it was given the name for geopolitical reasons.
The scientists point out that although monkeypox was first discovered in Africa and is endemic there, the current outbreaks indicate that the viruses were already circulating undetected in over 44 countries because there was little monitoring and diagnosis - which was not the case is unusual because most illnesses are very mild.
Therefore, scientists believe that a neutral, non-discriminatory and non-stigmatizing nomenclature is more suitable for the global health community.
The WHO responded just a few days later
Just four days later, on June 14, there was a WHO press conference on COVID-19 and other global health issues (see HERE ). From position 00:09:47 it says:
“WHO is also working with partners and experts from around the world to change the name of the monkeypox virus, its clades and the disease it causes. We will announce the new designations as soon as possible.”
As early as 2015, the WHO decided to use different names for new human infectious diseases (see HERE ) in order to prevent errors and discrimination. In the case of monkeypox, this was not previously necessary due to its low distribution, but its now worldwide appearance, combined with images of monkeys and Africans with pustules, paints a false picture: monkeypox is usually caused by transmission from animals such as rodents, squirrels and - to a lesser extent - Monkeys affect humans, and very few people who suffer from it have any connection to Africa.
By introducing a neutral name for the disease, the WHO hopes to reduce some of the prejudices and assumptions that could hamper efforts to contain infections as smoothly as possible.
Additional source: IFLS
Also interesting:
A simulation game that actually took place with the monkeypox virus as the pathogen is supposed to be proof that a new pandemic is being planned - but apart from the name of the virus and the approximate time, nothing matches.
– The monkeypox simulation game: When a coincidence is reinterpreted into a conspiracy
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