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Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
World

WHO to use ‘mpox’ instead of monkeypox to avoid stigma, racism

Monkeypox cases began spreading rapidly around the world in May [File: Alain Jocard/Reuters]

The World Health Organization (WHO) says it will start using “mpox”, a new preferred term for monkeypox, in a bid to avoid racism and stigmatisation stemming from the existing name.

The United Nations has previously criticised some news coverage about the virus, warning that poor journalism can “reinforce homophobic and racist stereotypes and exacerbate stigma”.

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