WHO Renames Monkeypox to "Mpox"

Facts

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that "monkeypox" will now be referred to as "mpox," amid controversy that "monkeypox" is racist and stigmatizing. For the next year, both names will be used before "monkeypox" is phased out.
• Scientists and experts have encouraged the name change since the beginning of the most recent outbreak — fearing that the stigma from the name would discourage people from getting tested, vaccinated, and seeking treatment. Stigmatization has reportedly particularly impacted men who have sex with men, as well as Black and Hispanic people.
• The name change comes as pressure mounted from the Biden admin., who privately warned that if the WHO did not act soon, the US would act unilaterally. The admin. advised the WHO that their inaction was negatively impacting the US's mpox vaccination campaign.
• Mpox was first named monkeypox by researchers in Denmark in 1958. Other diseases that could be considered racist or stigmatizing include Japanese encephalitis, German measles, Marburg virus, and Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome, but there has been no mention of name changes.
• The latest outbreak is still classified as a "public health emergency of international concern" by the WHO — its highest level of alert. The classification begins a coordinated response to funding global data sharing and vaccine and treatment development.
• Until May 2022, mpox was believed to only trigger large outbreaks in Central and West Africa. However, more than 80K cases have been reported in countries that haven't previously reported large outbreaks, triggering the public health emergency declaration.

Sources: BBC News, CNN, Politico, Scmp, and FOX News.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by NPR Online News. Monkeypox should be renamed for two reasons. First, the long history of the world referring to Black people as "monkeys" creates a dangerous racist stigma that undermines public health initiatives. Second, the current name makes the virus sound like transmission only occurs between monkeys, which is factually incorrect. This hampers the world's ability to control and respond to the outbreak.
• Narrative B, as provided by City Journal. The obsession with renaming monkeypox has detracted from the world's ability to combat the virus and snuff out the outbreak. The concerns about the virus' name and the history of racial stereotyping are well intended, but there has been no evidence that stereotyping in connection with the outbreak is taking place. The use of images showing Black people with lesions, for example, does not create a stigma, and obsessing over the virus name draws more attention than is warranted.