The World Health Organization (WHO) has renamed the monkeypox disease and will begin using a new preferred term, “mpox.”
The move comes after consultations with global experts, following rising concerns from individuals and countries over racist and stigmatizing language online and in other settings and communities. The terms “mpox” and monkeypox will be used simultaneously as synonyms for one year while WHO phases out the term monkeypox, the international body announced.
Human monkeypox disease was given its name in 1970, before WHO established best practices for naming diseases in 2015. WHO’s best practices now dictate that new disease names should be given with the aim to minimize unnecessary negative impacts on trade, travel, tourism or animal welfare, as well as avoid causing offense to any cultural, social, national, regional, professional or ethnic groups.
“WHO will adopt the term mpox in its communications, and encourages others to follow these recommendations, to minimize any ongoing negative impact of the current name and from adoption of the new name,” the agency stated.
The virus that causes the disease was discovered in captive monkeys in 1958. The disease is characterized by a rash, fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, respiratory symptoms and more. The United States has faced an outbreak of mpox this year, with more than 29,000 cases nationwide and 14 deaths attributed to the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. WHO declared mpox as a public health emergency in July 2022.
Following WHO’s recommendation to change the name to mpox, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shared support for the move and noted federal agencies in the U.S. will adopt the mpox name. HHS stated the name change will help end stigmatization of the disease and for those seeking treatment.
“We welcome the change by the World Health Organization,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. We must do all we can to break down barriers to public health, and reducing the stigma associated with disease is one critical step in our work to end mpox.”
Assigning names to new and, in some cases, existing diseases is the responsibility of WHO, which held consultations with a range of experts, as well as countries and the general public, who were invited to make suggestions for new names. After taking these steps, WHO DIrector-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recommends adopting the name “mpox” in English to refer to the disease, phase out the term “monkeypox” after on year and include the synonym mpox in the ICD-10 online and in the 2023 release of ICD-10. Ghebreyesus also recommends keeping the term monkeypox as a searchable term in ICD to match historic information.
While updating the ICD can typically take up to several years, WHO was able to accelerate the process for this name change.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."