Scientists call for monkeypox to be renamed over stigma fear

MONKEYPOX is set to be renamed by the World Health Organisation over concerns it could stoke racism and stigmatisation.

The WHO is overseeing a review after 30 scientists wrote a letter calling for the change last week.

The experts said that references to the virus as African were “discriminatory and stigmatising” and have put forward the new name HMPXV.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the organisation’s director-general, said at a briefing that the WHO was “working with partners and experts from around the world on changing the name of the monkeypox virus, its clades and the disease it causes”.

It comes amid soaring cases of the virus around the world, including 470 infections in the UK, with 452 recorded in England, 12 in Scotland, four in Wales and two in Northern Ireland as of June 12. No deaths have yet been reported, but experts warn that in countries where the virus is endemic, there are fatalities every year.

In their letter to the WHO, the scientists claimed that “continued reference to, and nomenclature of this virus being African is not only inaccurate but is also discriminatory and stigmatising”.

It added: “The most obvious manifestation of this is the use of photos of African patients to depict the pox lesions in mainstream media in the north. As with any other disease, it can occur in any region in the world and afflict anyone, regardless of race or ethnicity. As such, we believe that no race or skin complexion should be the face of this disease.”