WHO seeking help from the public to rename monkeypox

NEW YORK • The World Health Organisation (WHO) is asking for the public's help in renaming the monkeypox virus, part of an ongoing effort to discourage harmful misconceptions associated with the current name.

"WHO is holding an open consultation for a new disease name for monkeypox. Anyone wishing to propose new names can do so," the organisation said in a statement.

Assigning names to viruses normally falls under WHO jurisdiction, but the organisation is allowing people to submit ideas through an online portal, according to the statement.

The announcement comes nearly two months after the WHO said it was planning to rename the virus, following demands from international scientists and public health officials who said the current name encourages harmful stigma.

In previous outbreaks, monkeypox has been associated with rodents. Some local health departments in the United States are already calling it by different names - in Chicago, the public health office uses MPV, for example.

Since May, the outbreak has grown to include over 31,000 people globally, with the US leading in number of cases.

The virus is disproportionately affecting men who have sex with men and spreads through close contact.

After convening a group of global experts on Aug 8, the WHO decided to rename the two dominant variants of monkeypox.

Previously called the Central African or Congo Basin clade and the West African clade, the strains will now be officially called Clade I and Clade II, respectively.

The group also decided that Clade II consists of two distinct subclades.

Meanwhile, with the monkeypox vaccine in short supply in the US, thousands of foreigners, including Americans, are flocking to Montreal in Canada for their shots.

BLOOMBERG, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE