Monkeypox To Be Renamed Mpox, Says WHO
Written by City Radio on November 28, 2022
Monkeypox is to be renamed mpox in English, the World Health Organization announced Monday, in a bid to avoid stigmatisation stemming from the existing name.
Monkeypox received its name because the virus was originally identified in monkeys kept for research in Denmark in 1958, but the disease is found in a number of animals, and most frequently in rodents.
The disease was first discovered in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the spread among humans since then mainly limited to certain West and Central African countries where it is endemic.