THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has renamed the virus, Monkey Pox, as Mpox
WHO, in a statement in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday, November 28, however, said the two names will be used simultaneously for another year before only Mpox will be used exclusively.
The organisation said the new name was chosen because it is easy to pronounce and can be used in many languages.
The virus itself is also to be given a new name by an independent expert council, but it has yet to make a decision.
The disease was called monkey pox because it was first discovered in monkeys in 1958, but monkeys had nothing to do with the outbreaks this year. Rather, humans become infected through close physical contact with other humans.
Nevertheless, monkeys were attacked this year in Brazil, for example, because humans held them responsible for the outbreaks.
According to WHO guidelines, disease names should avoid references to specific countries, regions or animals in addition to the name being easy to pronounce.
