WHO to use new name for monkeypox

The World Health Organization has recommended that the monkeypox virus be renamed “mpox” to avoid what it called racist and stigmatizing language surrounding the disease.

More than 99 proposals for the name were submitted as part of a consultation process by the Geneva-based agency, with Rodentpox-70, Human mediumpox, Bonopox and MOVID-22 among the alternatives considered. The WHO opted for mpox partly because it’s easy to pronounce and isn’t linked to any actual place or animal, the organization said.

The WHO will initially use the new name alongside monkeypox, to avoid confusion in the midst of the global outbreak. The old name will be phased out after a year, the organization said.

(AP) People enjoy skating on the ice rink opened on Red Square, with the GUM State Department store in the background Monday in Moscow, Russia.