© REUTERS
The World Health Organization (WHO) is currently working on a new name for the monkeypox virus. It has started a search for a name that is non-discriminatory and non-stigmatising.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced Tuesday that the organization is “working with partners and experts from around the world to change the name of the monkeypox virus and the disease it causes.” The announcement comes after 30 scientists called the virus “stigmatizing and discriminatory” in an open letter. They said there was “an urgent need” to change the name.
The current name, they say, does not conform to WHO guidelines recommending avoiding geographic regions and animal names, a spokesperson said. “In the context of the current global outbreak, the continued reference to and naming of this virus as African is not only inaccurate, but also discriminatory and stigmatizing,” the group of scientists said in a letter online.
ALSO READ. Current monkeypox outbreak originated in… 2017: “Obviously there’s been a lot going on under the radar for a while”
The scientists also point out that it is important to remember that the actual animal source of the monkeypox virus is still unknown. The virus has been found in several mammals in the past. The WHO has therefore consulted experts to find a more suitable name.
Other organizations have already addressed the stigmatizing problem. The Foreign Press Association of Africa has already asked Western media outlets to stop using photos of black people to indicate current cases of the virus. “Like any other disease, this disease can occur in any region of the world and affect anyone regardless of race or ethnicity,” the group wrote. “That’s why we believe that no race or color of skin should be the face of this disease.”
The story is reminiscent of the initial phase of the corona pandemic. Then there were also regular references to the Wuhan virus and, for example, the then US President Donald Trump systematically kept saying “China virus”.
(sgg)