Ampox found in India: Why did WHO change the name to Monkeypox?
Use of the name “Monkeypox” was linked to discrimination, after which the World Health Organization changed its name “Mpox.”
India confirmed its first case of ampox in a traveller who arrived from an outbreak country. The traveller, a young male, has been isolated but has the Clade 2 strain, which is not part of the current public health emergency.
A more dangerous type of ampox, clade 1b, was first detected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and has now spread to its neighbouring countries, the Americas, Europe and even Asia.
Why did WHO change the name of monkeypox to ampox?
During the 2022 ampox outbreak, the worst-affected African countries faced stigma due to the mode of infection. A large number of cases were reported among men who have sex with men.
Unfortunately, this led to an increase in the stigma and racist comments surrounding monkeypox, and some people falsely believed that the virus was only limited to them.
Use of the name “Monkeypox” This discrimination was further exacerbated, as derogatory language and harmful stereotypes were often promoted online and in public discussions.
After this, in November 2022, the World Health Organization changed its name to “Mpox”To remove one layer of potential harm, the focus should be on the virus itself, rather than on social stigma.
In addition, this term “Monkeypox” Misleading ideas about the origin and transmission of the virus have long been prevalent.
Although the virus was first identified in monkeys in a Danish laboratory in 1958, its primary source is not monkeys but rodents and other small mammals.
Name “Monkeypox” This inadvertently fueled public misunderstanding, reinforcing the false belief that the virus was exclusively linked to monkeys.
In addition to scientific inaccuracies, there were concerns that the name was promoting stigma, particularly racial and geographic stereotyping.
Since the disease was first discovered in Central Africa, there was a tendency to inappropriately associate it with African countries and communities.
“Following a series of consultations with global experts, the WHO has come up with a new preferred term as a synonym for monkeypox. “Mpox” will start using the” WHO said.
shift “Mpox” This helps to neutralise these harmful associations, and promote a more accurate and inclusive understanding of the disease.
Another motivating factor behind the name change was the need for clear, simple language during the health crisis.
The use of animal names for diseases, such as “swine flu” or “bird flu”, can often distract attention from the true human impact of the disease.
new name, “Mpox,” It aims to be neutral, easy to understand, and free of geographical or animal-related implications.
The decision was taken following consultation with experts and the public, with the aim of ensuring that public health messaging was clear and inclusive, and to minimise the harm caused by the old name.
“The new name was an attempt to still refer to poxvirus and the older designation, as well as be easier to spell by different languages.” WHO researchers wrote in The Lancet.
Context like this is important, researchers say “Epidemiological Studies” and for “Reporting the prevalence of the disease in certain areas.”
But there have been many examples in the past where stigma and discrimination have been avoided by changing the names of diseases and this has yielded successful results.
For example, Trisomy 21, formerly known as Down syndrome and even earlier by the frightening term Mongolism.
In Brazil, the term leprosy has not been used to designate leprosy by the country’s Ministry of Health since 1975, but in 1995, the term was officially replaced by Hansen’s disease to avoid stigma.
However, WHO criteria also do not recommend referring to a person when naming diseases, and others suggest more neutral names such as mycobacterial neurodermatosis.
“Ultimately, it is all about being fair and responsible, so that our society can become more respectful of human rights and non-discriminatory towards anyone.” He has written it.
Adopting neutral names is the first step when researching viruses and the diseases they cause, but “This is certainly not going to be the final solution unless we change human behaviour.”
