Monkeypox Now Called Mpox To Destigmatize the Disease, WHO Declares

The World Health Organization recently announced a new name for the spreading monkeypox virus: mpox.

This move to rename the spreading virus was executed after a series of deliberations and consultations with experts from around the globe. WHO also notes that both terms will be used together in a year as the term "monkeypox" gets phased out.

The Week mentions that the Biden administration accepts and welcomes this change and that officials will start using this new term from then on.

Monkeypox: History and Origins

According to Science Alert, the said virus got its label because it was originally observed among monkeys that were kept as research subjects. Researchers noted that a disease similar to pox spread among groups of monkey subjects. This was indicated in Denmark way back in 1958.

However, the disease can also be found in other animals, usually among rodents.

The Week reports that the first human case of mpox was documented in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970. Since this point, its transmission among humans has been boxed to particular Central and West African areas.

ALSO READ: Six Monkeypox-Related Deaths in the US Highlights the Ongoing Public Health Threat: Could the Country Eliminate the Virus?

The Stigma Faced by those Infected With Monkeypox or Mpox

The Week notes that since the recent outbreak started, specialists have been parading WHO to change the name to one that does not foster stigma and discrimination that could affect the willingness of individuals to undergo vaccination and testing.

Science Alert also notes that, according to a statement, stigmatizing and racist languages were observed in the online space. These were also reported to WHO.

Scientists have seen stigma as a growing concern since the outbreak was visibly prominent among males who had intercourse with fellow males.

According to the Week, the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention data reflects that this mpox outbreak has affected Hispanic and Black individuals from the US. WHO then started deliberating the renaming of this condition after the monkeypox outbreak was announced to be a global emergency, as noted by the Week.

Mpox Incident Count

According to Science Alert, around 55 fatalities and 81,107 confirmed incidents were reported to the World Health Organization just this 2022. These cases were from 110 different countries.

Upon revealing the data, it was also observed that around 97% of those infected were male, with 34 years as the median age. There was also 85% that reportedly identified as males who had intercourse with males.

Science Alert further reports that the ten countries that are most affected by this outbreak are the United States (with 29,001 reported cases), Brazil (with 9,905 reported cases), Spain (with 7,405 reported cases), France (with 4,107 reported cases), Colombia (with 3,803 reported cases), Britain (with 3,720 reported cases), Germany (with 3,672 reported cases), Peru (with 3,444 reported cases), Mexico (with 3,292 reported cases) and Canada (with 1,449 reported cases).

The tally from these ten countries alone accounts for 86% of the global incidents of mpox.