Virus should be called “Mpox” from for on
As if the coronavirus wasn’t enough, monkeypox was added to the mix. According to the WHO, these should now be given a new name.
Geneva – Since 2020, the corona virus has kept the world under its spell and: as in the youngest Riots in China can be seent, the virus continues to play an enormous role. The next shock came not long after the corona virus: monkeypox. Exactly this should now get a new name.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is now using the term “Mpox” instead of “Monkeypox”, as announced on Monday in Geneva. One year both names would stand side by side before only Mpox would be used. The new name was chosen because it is easy to pronounce and use in other languages. In addition, he is no longer associated with the animal.
“Mpox” instead of monkeypox: virus should have a new name
The virus itself is also to be given a new name. An independent expert council (ICTV) is responsible for this, which has not yet made a decision. As early as August, the designations subgroup I and subgroup II were introduced for the two virus subgroups that were named after specific regions.
The disease was called monkeypox only because it was first discovered in monkeys in 1958. But monkeys have nothing to do with the outbreaks this year. also people get stuck in close physical contact with other people. For example, monkeys were attacked in Brazil this year because people blamed them for the outbreaks.
New name for monkeypox: Viruses should no longer be named after animals
In general, according to WHO specifications, references to specific countries, regions or animals should be avoided in names for diseases. The reason for this is probably hostility towards animals in the case of monkeypox. However, there were also numerous attacks on people of Asian descent during the corona pandemic. The name should also be easy to pronounce.
Even after the outbreak of the then novel Coronavirus In Wuhan, China, the WHO had written flat out on a neutral name to prevent names such as China virus or Wuhan virus from gaining acceptance. The disease caused by the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus is called Covid-19, an abbreviation of coronavirus disease. The 19 shows that the disease first emerged in 2019. (dpa)