WHO seeks public help in renaming monkeypox to fight stigma
- The UN health body is allowing people to submit ideas through an online portal
- The announcement came following demands from scientists and public health officials who said the current name encourages harmful stigma
“WHO is holding an open consultation for a new disease name for monkeypox. Anyone wishing to propose new names can do so,” the UN health body said in a statement.
Assigning names to viruses normally falls under WHO jurisdiction, but the organisation is allowing people to submit ideas through an online portal, according to the statement.
The announcement comes nearly two months after the WHO said it was planning to rename the virus, following demands from international scientists and public health officials who said the current name encourages harmful stigma.
In previous outbreaks, monkeypox has been associated with rodents. Some local health departments are already calling it by different names – in Chicago, the public health office uses MPV, for example.