WHO Plans To Rename ‘Monkeypox’ Disease For Fear That It Is Misleading Or Contains Racist Overtones
The World Health Organisation has announced an open discussion to rebrand the illness monkeypox, after certain critics highlighted concerns that the moniker might sound derisive or racist.
According to Reuters, suggestions along the lines of Poxy McPoxface, Mpox and TRUMP-22 (a vengeful attempt at mocking Trump who called Covid-19 a “Chinese virus”), have been provided to the organisation so far- the work of academics, doctors, and activists. While the WHO still encourages all sorts of ideas, homophobic titles were promptly removed from the website.
We’re calling on @WHO to act immediately to rename the “monkeypox” virus. We have a growing concern for the potentially stigmatizing effects that the messaging around the “monkeypox” virus can have on vulnerable communities. Read our letter: https://t.co/hC6L8o60TH pic.twitter.com/G8CQ9ueaMJ
— Commissioner Ashwin Vasan, MD, PhD (@NYCHealthCommr)
