The variole of the monkey takes its name from the animal on which the virus was originally identified in 1958: monkeys intended for research in Denmark. The name change will take place after a one -year transition period.
MO12345lemonde with AFP
The variola of the monkey – Monkeypox in English – will now be called MPOX, including in other languages, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Monday, November 28. The two names will coexist for a period of one year before the term monkeypox is abandoned, even if it can always be sought in the international classification of diseases, said the WHO.
“The question of using the new name in different languages has been discussed at length. The preferred MPOX term can be used in other languages,” said WHO. If this name was to pose a problem in a language, the WHO would launch consultations with the competent government authorities and the scientific societies concerned, before deciding.
When the outbreak of the variole cases of the monkey appeared from spring 2022 “racist and stigmatizing remarks online, in other contexts and in certain communities have been observed and reported to WHO”, Pushing a certain number of countries and individuals or organizations to request a change of name, recalls the organization.
more than 80,000 cases and 55 dead reported in 110 countries
Mpox will then completely replace Monkeypox. “This is used to alleviate the concerns raised by experts concerning the confusion caused by a name change in the middle of a global outbreak.” The variole of the monkey is its name for the fact that the virus was originally identified in Monkeys intended for research in Denmark in 1958, but the disease is most often found in rodents.
It was reported for the first time in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Propagation in humans was until spring limited to certain West African countries where it is endemic.
In May, cases of a variety of the monkey, which causes fever, muscle pain and skin lesions, began to appear quickly in the world, mainly in men with sex with men. Some 81,000 cases and 55 dead have been reported to WHO this year, in 110 countries.