WHO asks public for help with monkeypox name change – By Al Jazeera and News Agencies (Al Jazeera) / Aug 16, 2022
The United Nations health agency says it wants to find a new, less stigmatising name for the rapidly-spreading disease.
The World Health Organization has invited the public to find a new name for monkeypox, calling for help in coming up with a less stigmatising designation for the fast-spreading disease amid concerns about the name.
Experts warn the name can be stigmatising to the primates it was named after, but who play little role in its spread, and to the African continent that the animals are often associated with.
Recently in Brazil, for instance, there have been reported cases of people attacking monkeys over disease fears.
“Human monkeypox was given its name before current best practices in naming diseases,” WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday.
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