WHO ditches ‘monkeypox’ for snappier new name ‘mpox’ amid racism backlash
‘Mpox’ set to replace ‘monkeypox’ after global outrage
The World Health Organization (WHO) is scrapping the name ‘monkeypox’ in favour of the new term ‘mpox’. The move comes after a string of complaints about racist and stigmatising language linked to the old name during the recent outbreak.
For the next year, both names will run side by side while ‘monkeypox’ is gradually phased out. WHO want to avoid confusion and give time to update official health records and advice.
Why the change? Racism and stigma spark WHO action
When monkeypox cases exploded earlier this year, hate speech and discriminatory language popped up online, in communities, and elsewhere. WHO held multiple meetings with experts and member countries to hear concerns and urgently find a better name.
“Assigning names to diseases is WHO’s job under the International Classification of Diseases,” the agency said. “After consulting experts, countries, and the public, we recommend adopting mpox as a synonym.”
How the new name works and what it means
- ‘Mpox’ will be the preferred term in English health circles after a one-year transition.
- It will appear in the ICD-10 online in the coming days and in the 2023 release of ICD-11, the gold standard for disease classification worldwide.
- ‘Monkeypox’ will still be searchable in the WHO’s records to keep historical data intact.
The WHO emphasised they picked mpox based on expert advice weighing up scientific accuracy, easy pronunciation across languages, and removing any geographic or animal references.
Outbreak shifts spotlight away from Africa
The monkeypox outbreak began in parts of West and Central Africa where the virus is endemic. But since May 2022, cases mostly popped up in Europe and North America – places where the virus isn’t usually found. Most confirmed patients had travel history to these western countries rather than Africa.
This shift and the racist fallout helped push WHO toward a more neutral, stigma-free disease name.
