Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
WEKU
WEKU
Bill Chappell

The WHO wants to give monkeypox a new name

A medical technician shows a suspected monkeypox sample at the microbiology laboratory of La Paz Hospital on June 6 in Madrid. The World Health Organization is working with experts on changing the name of the virus. (Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)

Monkeypox is poised to get a new name, the World Health Organization says, after scientists recently criticized the current name as "discriminatory and stigmatizing." The researchers say it's also inaccurate to name versions of the virus after parts of Africa.

The WHO is working with experts "on changing the name of monkeypox virus, its clades and the disease it causes," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a briefing on the outbreak on Tuesday.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.